Unforeseen Soul Mate
by KJScripsi
Summary: What happens when the Ministry implements a new law stating that all witches and wizards over the age of 14 must be matched to their ideal mate? Find out out what drama ensues and who will end up with who! Rated T for course language and romance
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - <strong>

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><p>Hermione Granger tapped her foot impatiently while reading over her Potions essay. Suddenly Ginny Weasley burst into the dorm looking windswept, her cheeks red and her long hair coming out of her ponytail.<p>

"Where have you been?" asked Hermione expectantly. "We're going to be late."

"Quidditch practice. Angelina kept us forever with new moves." Ginny replied as she yanked off her Quidditch robes and grabbed her normal ones. "Don't worry. We still have five minutes."

Grabbing her brush she quickly fixed her ponytail as Hermione began to twist her hands.

"Have you seen the reminders? Dumbledore will be making a huge announcement tonight. We can't be late."

"Relax Hermione. Of course I've seen the reminders. They've been posted everywhere for days. Come on. We'll be fine."

Hermione jumped off the bed and the two girls made their way down the stairs, through the common room, and out the portrait door to the Great Hall.

Most of the students were already inside talking while enjoying their dinner. The tables were full of stews, bread, roasted turkey, and jugs of pumpkin juice. They looked down the Gryffindor table where they saw Ron waving his hands around as he spoke to Harry. As the girls approached they could hear them arguing about an upcoming quidditch match.

"The Chudley Cannons will win this time," Ron was saying around the mashed potatoes he had in his mouth. "'Hey can't lose wi' their keeper."

Harry leaned closer in his seat. "What?! Are you barking? The Cannons might have a great keeper, but the Harpies' entire team is phenomenal. They decimated Puddlemere in their last match.

Ginny sat down reaching for food as Hermione frowned and rolled her eyes. She did not want to sit through another dinner talking only about Quidditch.

"What do you think the announcement will be about? asked Hermione trying to change the subject.

Just then Fred and George walked up and sat down beside them.

"No one really knows, but we heard many a rumor flying around about a certain _cup_ returning to Hogwarts."

"The Triwizard Tournament?" said Ginny as she raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Fred shrugged. He too had piled potatoes into his mouth, but swallowed before answering. "It's possible little sister."

"We'll find out shortly," said George looking up at the head table.

Dumbledore was staring up at the ceiling which shown a cloudless, starry night. He looked to be deep in thought with a troubled look on his face.

Finally after the desserts had been cleared away, Dumbledore rose from his seat and moved toward the podium. Immediately the hall went silent an eager anticipation hanging in the air.

"Good evening everyone. As you have been made aware, there is an announcement to be made tonight."

Everyone in the hall stared up at the Headmaster waiting for him to continue. The only sound that could be heard was a rustle or two of a cloak as some adjusted to see him properly.

"It will not come as a surprise to most of you that house unity has become, for lack of better words, unheard of at best. The Ministry feels that all of you have given up on second chances and are not making an effort to live in harmony with the other houses. The Ministry fears that this could eventually lead to another war."

A sudden shiver ran through the air accompanied by a few murmurs. People hardly spoke of the war since it had past. Ginny felt her insides squirm as she gave a look around. Did they really expect them to be friends with anyone in Slytherin? That was like asking a hippogriff to befriend a tasty ferret. Judging by the expressions on the other students faces she could tell they were thinking along the same lines. Dumbledore paused before going on with his speech, his even expression giving away nothing. Somehow, that only made his next words more frightening.

"The Ministry wishes me to inform you of a new law that will come into place in response to these concerns: the Inter-Unity Law."

Small whispers broke out, racing like wildfire around the hall. Each student wanted to make sure that he or she was not the only one lost. Ginny frowned, and the other three adopted similar expressions of confusion. Dumbledore raised a hand, and the hall instantly fell silent once more.

"The law reads as follows."

He snapped his fingers, and a scroll appeared from thin air. The Headmaster unraveled it, but there was something reluctant and weary in his movements. Hermione sat up a little straighter. Dumbledore peered through his half-moon glasses.

"All witches and wizards over the age of fourteen and enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are hereby subject to the Inter-Unity Law. The aforementioned law states that, in order to encourage unity and integration between houses, the Triwizard Goblet will pair various students with other students of a high-level compatibility to their own. These matches will take place over the course of a week, though the union will be in place for life. These students will be expected to complete various courses and other such things in the hopes of an eventual marriage. Thank-you for your understanding and cooperation. Signed Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic."

Ginny's throat closed. Horror reared its ugly head, and she felt the sudden urge to vomit. There was no way that she was cooperating with someone so bloody thick-headed as Fudge. She looked over at the others, whose faces were twisted into masks of disbelief.

"Punishment for disobeying this law," Dumbledore said, "is Azkaban."

The silence was deafening. Every student was at a loss for words. Ginny could hear her own heart pounding in her ears, and her mouth felt dry.

"Your parents have been sent a notice about the new law however, you will be responsible for telling them who you have been matched with once the Cup has decided. Like the Sorting Hat, the Cup will see what qualities you possess inside and match you to the person deemed to be your choice mate. Do not think that you can trick the cup this time around."

Dumbledore motioned down the table toward Professor Snape. He was the only one who appeared unruffled by the announcement and was wearing a half crooked smirk on his face.

"Professor Snape has brewed a complex potion as well as other enchantments that have been put in place. If you try to trick the cup, beards are not the only trouble you will find."

Dumbledore looked imploringly at the students his eyes lingering on the Weasley twins. The twins glared at him but made no sound as seemingly mute as the rest of the students.

"Please drop your names in the cup outside the hall as you exit. The pairing will start tomorrow. I suggest you all get a good nights rest before your lessons in the morning."

At that Dumbledore swept out of the Great Hall and through a side door. The professors at the head table were standing up. They had been dismissed.

Slowly Blaise Zabini stood, his hand trembling.

"What do they think they're playing at? Those bloody Ministry cretins!"

Beside him Draco Malfoy was still sitting his eyes dark and brooding. As he stood up however, his expression was blank. Around them the noise started to grow as others stood up. Conversations started to buzz. Angry voices started rumbling as students cursed and shouted. Other students sat crying or completely still as if in shock waiting to hear different news. Ginny saw Luna comforting a third year at the Ravenclaw table.

"How can the Ministry do that?" exploded Ron angrily. "Forcing us together to marry?! What if I get paired with a Slytherin? I think I'd rather die! And what will Mum and Dad say? All of those weddings, I can't even imagine the hours Dad will have to work to try and pay for that."

Ron's angry tirade went on and on as they left the hall, stopping just outside to each drop their names in the worn cup with blue flames which glowed momentarily amber as it swallowed up their name, before moving on back to their dormitory. The girls got ready for bed in silence. They were still too shocked to speak. Ginny laid in bed and shut the hangings feeling as though her heart was as heavy as the curtains surrounding her.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_As you can see I kept the same premise and wording for the Inter-Unity Law as the original by JKBrimera. I did however change the opening and ending scenes choosing my own version. Check out the next chapter below! Hope you enjoy._

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - <strong>

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><p>Ginny woke with a sudden start. She blinked and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes feeling like she had just had the worst nightmare. Instantly the words from Dumbledore came flooding back to her and she felt sick.<p>

"_The union will be in place for life. Punishment for disobeying the law is Azkaban_."

Ginny shook her head trying to forget the words. She threw a pillow over her head in hopes of going back to sleep when she heard a small thud. She stopped for a moment and listened. Suddenly she heard the noise again. She opened the curtains around her bed and looked around. She noticed Parvati lying on the ground.

Parvati noticing she was awake whispered frantically. "Please. Help me."

"What the devil? Why are you on the floor?" Ginny said as she jumped out of bed.

"Just help me. Please!"

Ginny noticed her foot in the air as if someone was trying to lift Parvati up by her ankle and Parvati struggling to hold on to something. Anything. Ginny could see her usually perfectly manicured nails were chipped and her hands almost raw. Ginny grabbed a sheet off the bed, grabbed Parvati's leg that was trying to wrap itself around the dresser and tied it down. She then used another sheet to tie her arms to s bedpost.

"What the hell was that? Did someone Levicorpus you?" Ginny looked at her incredulously as she collapsed down beside her.

"No." whispered Parvati.

"Then why did I just have to tie you down?

Parvati shrugged as she tried to catch her breath. Ginny could see her hands trembling.

"Come on. What's going on Vati?" Ginny asked.

"I can't say. That would make it real." Parvati lowered her head.

"Try."

"I guess it's the law thing." She still wasn't looking at her, but Ginny could hear the dull submission in her friend's voice, and she frowned. "I've been one of the first to be matched. Lucky me, I guess."

"You can't seriously be fine with that."

"Of course I'm not!" Parvati lifted her head and Ginny could see her friends eyes well up with tears. Ginny turned and wrapped her arms around her as Parvati started to cry softly. Ginny stroked her hair.

"Merlin, Gin. I just don't see what I can do about it." She sniffed.

"Well, you could-"

"Never untie myself?" Parvati laughed while wiping her nose on her sleeve. She shook her cuffed hands for emphasis.

"This is it for us, now. This is the boy I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. I just thought that when I was saying those words, we would have gone out for a while beforehand."

"You know," Ginny said, "I like surprises a lot more when they're Christmas presents."

"Merlin." Parvati's lips twitched. "I've never had a serious boyfriend before and now I'm going to be married. Think of what my mum will say."

Ginny had a sudden image of Parvati trying to choose a wedding dress and laughed aloud. With Parvati's four sisters, mum, and extended family packed full of cousins and aunts, it would take months. Even longer, if Lavender was there. Ginny was then hit with the idea of _Lavender _trying to choose a wedding dress and she burst into hysterics. Parvati looked at her in alarm.

"Keep it down, Ginny!" She glanced worriedly to where the other two girls were still fast asleep, their heads peeking out from the depths of their blankets. "Why are you laughing? Did someone slip you a mickey or perform a cheering charm or something?"

Ginny shook her head. Tears were streaming down her face, and she wiped at them with her pajama sleeve. She struggled to get the words out.

"I… was just… picturing… Lavender trying to buy a wedding dress."

Parvati began to laugh as well, just a small giggle at first and then a whole medley of hoots and hollers. The whole situation was so ridiculous that Ginny laughed until her stomach hurt. Parvati was cackling.

"Quiet," she giggled. "We'll… wake… the others."

"Too late."

Hermione sat up, yawning. Her bushy brown mane stuck up all around her head like a lion, and her cheeks were flushed red from sleep. She blinked a few times. Then, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Parvati's hands tied to the bed and tear streaked face.

"What in Merlin…"

Ginny's laughter died in her throat. Parvati had stilled, examining her hands as if she had just remembered that they were attached to her body. Hermione's look of confusion melted into one of understanding, and she looked at the dark-haired girl sympathetically.

"Already?"

"Somebody had to be first." Parvati sighed. "I just thought that, you know, I would receive an owl or something. This whole swept-off-my-feet thing is a little too literal."

Ginny gave her a shoulder a squeeze. Hermione was apparently oblivious to Parvati's conflict, because she continued to question the other girl.

"How long are you going to wait to find out?"

"Don't know yet." Parvati's gaze was still fixed on her cuffed hands. "Since we haven't had any boys fly into our bedroom yet, I'm assuming my match is also tied up. That should give me a bit of time."

"I can take notes for you, if you'd like," Hermione offered, although whether it was because she really felt sorry for Parvati or because she disapproved of anyone missing class, it was difficult to tell.

Ginny nudged her. "We'll support you either way."

Parvati sighed again. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her long eyelashes cast shadows across her cheekbones. Ginny had always been jealous of how long her friend's eyelashes were; Parvati never needed to wear mascara or do any sort of enhancing spell. Today, Ginny was not jealous of her dorm mate at all.

"What should I do?" Parvati asked looking up.

Ginny wasn't sure if she was asking them, herself, or some higher power. Hermione scrunched up her eyebrows as if she was considering an arithmancy problem. Ginny could already see her mind going a million miles an hour, calculating probabilities and chances and whether it was better to do it now or later.

"I suppose it's better to do it now," she said finally.

"I agree." Ginny cleared her throat. Trying to make light of the situation Ginny said, "You wouldn't want to miss breakfast today anyway; it's waffles."

Parvati looked at her grateful they were trying to cheer her up. "I do love waffles."

"It's settled, then."

Ginny stood, rifling through her clothes. She pulled out clean jeans and robes from the top drawer. She tossed Parvati's wand at her. Her friend caught it easily and twirled it for emphasis. Ginny raised an eyebrow, and Parvati shrugged.

"Lavender taught me," she said by way of explanation. "It's become a habit now. And while I'm thinking about it, shouldn't someone be waking her by now?"

They all turned to look at the lump of covers that formed a small hump on the fourth bed. Somewhere beneath, Ginny could hear the faint sound of snoring. She smirked; it was the one thing that Lavender couldn't control, and it drove her a little nuts. Hermione assumed a guilty expression.

"We forgot to wake her! Here, I'll do it."

She crossed hastily to Lavender's bed, shaking her on the shoulder. The lump of covers groaned. Hermione pulled the sheets back, revealing a whack of blonde hair. She leaned close to their dorm mate's ear.

"Hey, sleepy head, it's morning."

Lavender swatted at her. "Five more minutes!"

"Lav?" Parvati's voice was tentative. "I've been matched."

It took a few seconds for the information to register in the other girl's sleepy brain. When it did, Lavender bolted upright, her eyes popping open suddenly wide awake. Lavender hopped out of bed, her hands on her hips.

"Who?"

Parvati gestured wryly to the bed-sheets. "I'm not sure yet."

"I can't believe it." Lavender began to pace, though her eyes never left Parvati's hands. "This is actually happening."

Ginny, who had already dressed and washed, offered her a sympathetic look as she ran a brush through her hair. She charmed it up into knot to keep it out of her face.

"You'll believe it better with waffles." She tossed Lavender's robes and wand at her. Lavender caught both without looking and, to Ginny's chagrin, twirled the wand in the same way Parvati had. Ginny sighed.

"Come on, slowpoke. We'll miss breakfast."

Lavender's eyes cut to Parvati. "But-"

"I'll come." Parvati smiled bravely, shifting in her bonds. "So long as you all come with me when I'm out of these things, that is. "

Hermione stuck her up pinky finger. "Witch's promise."

The other three girls mirrored her gesture and murmured the words, and a flare of heat rippled between them. Ginny used her free hand to knot the laces of her trainers. Lavender was half-dancing as she dressed, bounding around Parvati like an excited puppy.

"Any guesses as to whom it may be?"

Hermione straightened her robes. "Anthony Goldstein or Terry Boot maybe?"

"No way!" Ginny pulled a face. "Anthony has a horribly large nose and Terry is a git. Not that it matters really, so long as you don't end up with a Slytherin. Can you imagine being matched with Malfoy or Zabini?"

She shuddered, and Hermione and Parvati followed suit. Lavender, however, had stopped her bouncing in favor of taking up residence on Ginny's bed. She was hanging off upside down, and her sly smile went the wrong way.

"I don't know. Malfoy is actually quite fanciable." Lavender said blushing.

The reaction was immediate: Ginny made a retching noise, and Parvati mimed gagging. Hermione looked so shocked that she held a trainer halfway to her foot, her hand hovering in midair. Lavender giggled at their expressions.

"Relax, that doesn't mean that I suddenly want to marry him. Besides, we never asked Parvati if there was anyone _she_ wants to marry."

All eyes snapped to Parvati, who was quickly turning crimson..

"Well?" Hermione looked curious. "There isn't, is there?"

Parvati's cheeks were painfully red now. "Not exactly."

But she might as well have said that she had been exchanging love notes, because her denial was all that Ginny needed to tell that she was lying. Lavender let out a crow of surprise, and Hermione studied Parvati carefully. It was Ginny's turn to dance around the room, waving her hands around. Her voice was a singsong.

"Parvati fancies someone!"

Her friend coloured further. "It's stupid, really. He doesn't fancy me."

"Oi!" Lavender's look was full of disapproval. "You don't know that. You should have told me earlier, and I could have set you up."

She sounded slightly hurt, and Ginny didn't blame her. Lavender was the go-to witch at Hogwarts if you wanted advice on boys. She had inhaled every copy of Witch Weekly and committed each article to heart with feverish determination. Luckily, Ginny had never had the need to ask her roommate for boy advice, and she certainly hoped it would stay that way. Parvati smiled.

"But where is the fun in that?"

"It hardly matters now." Hermione finished tying her trainers with a tug. "Come on. I think that it's time to cut Parvati loose."

"What? No! I've changed my mind, I'm staying here."

Parvati suddenly looked frightened. Her hands gripped the bedpost, holding the sheets as if they were life preservers. Her eyes were darting from place to place like a caged animal. Hermione knelt, and when she spoke, her voice was soft.

"You are not, and you know it."

"I'm staying."

Hermione shook her head. "Should I cut the bonds, or are going to?"

Parvati looked like she was going to argue for a moment, and then she sighed. Weakly, she held out her hands. Hermione raised an eyebrow before removing her wand. She held it over Parvati's trembling wrists like an orchestra conductor. Then, with deliberate clarity, she spoke.

"_Diffindo_."

Before anyone had the chance to say anything more, Parvati was thrust forwards into the air, and she hit the door with a _smack_. It was knocked open, and then Parvati flew through the common room. Ginny leapt after her, taking the stairs two at a time. She realized immediately that she wasn't going to be able to keep up with her. Though she was one of the fastest girls at Hogwarts, she would need a broom to keep pace with her friend. Parvati seemed to realize this at the same time that she did and gave her a brave smile before zooming through the portrait hole. Ginny paused to catch her breath. Hermione and Lavender appeared about fifteen seconds later, their faces red with exertion.

"What- happened?" Lavender demanded, panting. "Where's 'vati?"

"Too fast."

Ginny straightened slowly, wiping the sweat from her brow. She frowned in the direction that Parvati had vanished: towards the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common rooms. She opened her mouth to tell the other two, and then closed it again. No sense in worrying Lavender until they were certain.

"We'll see her at breakfast," Ginny reassured them.

The other two nodded, and they fell into step as they walked towards the Great Hall. They noticed a few students sporting what looked like arrows above their heads in different sizes and colours. They were pointing like a compass to other students with a matching one. Ginny was relieved to see a few couples of the same house, which meant that the possibility wasn't entirely ruled out no matter what the inter-unity law stated. It looked like the cup really was basing its choices on compatibility and not just randomly pairing different houses together. She caught sight of Luna at the Ravenclaw table and motioned for Hermione and Lavender to go on ahead. She made her way towards Luna and gave the blonde's ponytail a quick, affectionate tug.

"Ginny!" Luna had separated an orange into eight slices, and was eating each one in a counter-clockwise style. She scooted over so that Ginny could slide in, too. "How's your morning?"

Ginny launched into a quick recount of Parvati's matching. When she finished, Luna looked thoughtful.

"I thought I saw Parvati in our common room this morning. I can't be sure, of course," she added, looking slightly alarmed by Ginny's expression, "but I think that it was someone from her year."

"Oh, thank goodness. Ginny sighed with relief. That meant she wasn't paired with a Slytherin.

"Hopefully she got a good one." She said while grabbing one of Luna's orange slices.

"What about you Lu? Have you been matched yet?"

"Nope, not yet. I wonder how many signs there are for being matched." Luna said looking at people with arrows above their head.

"Parvati didn't have an arrow did she? You said she was dragging out by a force of some kind?"

"No, she didn't." Ginny looked uncomfortable wondering how she was going to find out her match.

"I guess I better go back. Breakfast will be over soon." Ginny gave Luna a smile before heading to the Gryffindor table. She took a seat across from Neville who was staring at his pumpkin juice like he wanted to drown in it. His eyes were red and bloodshot. He stabbed his waffle and was pushing it back and forth across his plate. Peering up she saw the small red arrow that was pointed directly behind him.

"Neville?" She asked tentatively. "Are you all right?

"No." He sounded like he had a bad head cold. "Not really."

Ginny's eyes swept through the hall to find another red arrow, but there were too many floating around to tell who his match might be. Neville's elbow rested in the butter beside his plate, but he seemed too preoccupied to notice.

Ginny handed him a napkin before asking, "What happened? Who were you matched with?"

Neville shook his head wordlessly, staring blankly at the stain slowly spreading across his sleeve. Then, almost imperceptibly, he turned his head around towards the Slytherin table, where an equally distraught Pansy Parkinson was pushing around some eggs. Ginny felt her stomach drop.

"You can't be serious." Said Ginny horrified.

When Neville said nothing, she made a noise of sympathy. "I'm sorry, Neville, that's absolutely rotten."

Just then Pansy looked up and glared at them. It was hard to tell who the look was directed to, but if looks could kill they'd both be lying on the floor.

Neville gave a resigned sigh. "It's o.k. I guess. It was just… unexpected."

Ginny patted his hand. "At least you know now."

Neville made a small nod. "Have you found out yet?"

Ginny shook her head. Her eyes immediately scanned the hall, as if a boy might have a huge sign with her name on it. That would certainly make things a lot easier. She began to pile eggs and waffles onto her own plate in the hopes of encouraging Neville to eat.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," she said. "A part of me doesn't like to delay the inevitable.

To try and get his mind off his match Ginny said lightly "Parvati was matched too."

"Oh yea? With who?" Neville asked as he took a small bite of his waffle to Ginny's relief.

"No idea." Ginny shook her head, absently cutting up her waffles.

"I think everyone finds out differently who they're matched with. Parvati flew down the stairs and through the corridor before I could catch her."

Ginny almost smiled at the expression on Neville's face, but he said nothing. Instead, he gestured to the arrow spinning above his head, waving his hand like a lasso.

"This sign seems to be pretty common. I think I prefer it to being dragged through the school."

Ginny mimicked a siren above her own head. Neville stuck out his tongue.

"Gin!"

Lavender was sprinting full speed to where Ginny sat, tripping slightly in her heels. There was a look of panicked excitement in her eyes that Ginny hadn't seen since the last ball was announced. She whipped around so quickly that her neck kinked in the process.

"What?"

Lavender was grinning ear to ear as Ginny massaged her neck. "Look who's just arrived."

Hastily, Ginny followed Lavender's gaze to the double doors. Entering into the hall was Pavarti, holding hands with Michael Corner. Her face was aglow, and any doubts Ginny had as to who Parvati fancied vanished.

"That's fantastic"

Ginny stood to wave at the couple over the crowd of packed students. Parvati waved back enthusiastically with her free hand, and her grin was blinding. Michael smiled as well. Parvati whispered something in his ear before walking off toward the direction of the Gryffindor table while Michael walked over to Ravenclaws.

"Michael Corner?" Lavender squealed. She was dancing up and down on her toes, as if she might explode. "You're matched with Michael Corner?"

Parvati looked both embarrassed and excited at the same time.

Ginny hugged her friend tightly and laughed.

"It's wonderful, 'Vati. I'm glad something good has come out of this mess and, judging by her reaction, Lavender feels the same way."

Lavender stopped her wild dance. Her cheeks were flushed from exertion and panting slightly. Parvati couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"I'm just so happy."

She dropped into a seat beside Neville. Her hand spooned eggs onto her plate. Ginny watched, half-amused and half-concerned as her friend dazedly poured syrup all over them.

"I never thought – I never wanted to hope that it could work out like this."

Ginny sat back down and reached for the juice. "I'm happy for you, too. You must be relieved that you didn't end up with a Slytherin."

Neville stiffened. Too late, Ginny realized her mistake, and she froze. Neville saw her expression and waved an impatient hand, but the jump in his throat didn't fade.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm over it."

Parvati frowned. "Over what?"

"Pansy Parkinson." Neville gestured to his arrow. "Found out this morning."

Parvati's elated expression morphed into one of intense sympathy. "She might not be so bad. Who knows? Plenty of Slytherins have changed since the war."

Ginny clamped her mouth shut, biting off a flippant retort that _of course_ Pansy hadn't changed; no Slytherins had. But Parvati was only trying to be encouraging and so, for Neville's sake, Ginny kept quiet. The round-faced boy looked hopeful.

"Do you think?"

Parvati nodded. "I know."

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_As you can tell I loved the previous chapter JKBrimera created and so I kept most of the original content changing it very slightly. Thank you again JKBrimera for allowing me to borrow parts of your story as mine progresses. Where will the story take us? Read more to find out! _

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 -<strong>

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><p>As the day passed more arrows appeared over people's heads alarming those who they appeared above. Ginny had seen Colin Creevy nearly jump out of a window during Divination as a big flashing arrow appeared over his. Ernie Macmillian had suddenly flown out of the Potions classroom in the afternoon knocking over Professor Snape as he went by. The professor had not been pleased and looked ready to take away house points if anyone dared laugh. Later still she heard a few students speaking in a different language where it seemed only their match understood.<p>

"Ginny? Hello? Earth to Ginny!"

Hermione waved a hand in front of her face. Ginny blinked, startled. The two girls sat in the Gryffindor common room, tucked away in a corner with piles of books and parchment between them. Parvati was speaking animatedly with Lavender by the fire, and Harry and Ron were playing exploding snap on the wooden table.

"I'm alright." Ginny shut her Care of Magical Creatures book with a yawn. "I can't believe they're still allowed to give us essays with everything that's going on."

Hermione didn't look sorry in the least. "School is still school."

"You're only saying that because Charlie didn't give you any homework."

Hermione shrugged, but didn't say anything. Ginny would be having words with her brother later.

A sudden crow of delighted laughter caught her attention, and she turned to look at Fred and Angelina. The pair was engaged in a rowdy match of chess, and there were peals of laughter whenever the other had to speak. Apparently, they had found out that they were matched in the afternoon when neither of them could speak without singing. The ability had yet to fade.

Hermione followed her gaze. "They're good together, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "They really are."

Her brother had a genuine smile that she rarely saw unless he was with George, and the thought made her relieved. Hermione wore a wistful expression and, with a pang of guilt, Ginny realized that she had never asked her friend how she was feeling about the entire law.

"You haven't found your match yet, have you, Hermione?"

"No." She shook her head ruefully. "I do hope it comes soon, though. Exams are drawing close and I can't afford to be worrying about other things."

Ginny almost smiled. Leave it to Hermione to worry about things like exams during possibly the most stressful week of their lives. With a sigh, Hermione pushed her essay aside as well, resting her chin on her hand.

"What about you?"

"Nope. She continued to gaze around the common room where Dean and Seamus were practicing their charms work.

"I thought maybe Dean for a moment this morning, but no luck yet. He's one of the better ones isn't he?"

As if sensing her words, Dean caught her eye from across the common room. He was bedecked in what looked like a top hat and a monocle. Seamus was checking a spell book intently as he conjured what looked like a thick mustache on his friend. Dean grinned at her. With a wave of his wand, he produced a bouquet of flowers and tossed them to her.

"For you, gentle lady."

Ginny laughed. "Thank-you, kind sir."

Hermione looked thoughtful as the boys went back to their practice. "I see what you mean. I suppose they're saving the best for last, though; I know that all the girls are thrilled that Harry's still on the market."

She was peering at Ginny intently. She had finally shaken off her fancy of Harry for good after the war. The boy was more like a brother to her now, perhaps even more so than Ron at times. It would be odd to be matched with him now: still, better Harry than a Slytherin she thought.

"Yes, I've heard the same," she said offhandedly. "It won't matter though, will it? The cup's going to choose one way or the other. There's nothing really left to be done."

Hermione fixed Ginny with a disapproving look that reminded her of Professor McGonagall.

That's no way to talk, Gin. As if we've had our whole lives decided for us already."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, we have, haven't we?"

Hermione looked like she was going to protest before thinking better of it. The older girl leaned back in her chair, her fingers twisting in to the fabric of her skirt as she thought. Ginny stood up wearily.

"I'm giving up," she announced, shoving her books into a bag. "I need sleep, and I can always ask Charlie for help on the report later."

Hermione waved a hand. "You can always ask me, too."

Ginny smiled. "I always do."

She ruffled Ron's hair on her way to the stairs, eliciting an indignant noise from her brother. Fred sung a cheerful goodnight, which was accompanied by a giggle from Angelina. Harry nodded, his attention stolen by a sudden explosion of his cards. Giggling, Ginny turned towards her dorm and the sleep that awaited her.

* * *

><p>"Merlins Beard Ron! What is that?" Ginny exclaimed as she peered at her brother's shoulder.<p>

Ron had what looked like an oddly shaped purple splotch on his upper arm, like someone had dipped a quill in ink and then blotted it onto his skin. It might have been a birthmark, but Ginny knew that it wasn't. She had seen her brother naked way more times than she cared to admit. Ginny leaned back against the large Beech they sat under, allowing Hermione to frown at the mark.

"Have you been fighting, Ron?"

He made a spluttering sound. "No!"

"Are you sure?" Hermione looked dubious. "It looks like a curse mark."

"I haven't been fighting!"

"More likely a Nargle," Luna agreed sagely.

Harry, who had been watching the entire exchange with amusement, leaned back against the tree. He slapped Ron on the back.

"Course it wasn't a fight, mate. You haven't been in one since you lost to Mrs. Norris."

"I didn't lose!" Ron colored. "I keep saying that it was a draw-"

He was cut off by the sudden sound of laughter. Ginny looked to where Angelina and Fred sat nearby, sprawled out on the grass. They were describing the shapes of clouds in singsong voices, although Fred was admiring Angelina more than he was the sky. Ginny hid a smile.

"Are you cold?" Ron asked.

Ginny opened her mouth to tell him that she was fine, but his words weren't directed to her. Her brother was looking at Hermione in concern. The other girl had the beginning of goose bumps on her arms, which were wrapped around herself. Her cheeks were red, although whether from cold or Ron's words, Ginny couldn't have said.

"I'm fine."

"You should have taken that jumper Lavender offered you," Ginny chided.

Hermione gave her a look that could have melted the ice caps. Ignoring her, Ginny crossed her legs and settled back against the beech once more. As the weather turned to fall, it started to get colder. Her gaze wandered around looking at students huddled close together for warmth to the other side of the lake. There she could just make out the two shapes of people that must have been Parvati and Michael taking their regular afternoon stroll.

"Oi." Harry's voice was incredulous. "Is that _Neville_?"

Ginny turned and following his gaze, and she felt her jaw drop. Neville sat under a nearby grove of trees, a book propped open on his knees. He was eating an apple as he turned the pages. The most startling part was the girl sitting a few feet away from him: Pansy Parkinson.

"Bloody hell," Ron said. "What has the world come to?"

"I think it's sweet," Luna said smiling serenely.

"Sweet?" Ron gave her a look as if she suggested that they eat slugs for lunch. "Parkinson's a Slytherin! That's traitorous."

"Gee," Hermione said, and she shot a look filled with disapproval at Ron. "I wonder why the Ministry felt the need to implement an Inter-Unity Law."

But Ginny was only half-listening. Her eyes were still on Neville and Pansy. The pair did not give off an air of friendliness. They certainly were not speaking or even looking at each other, but there was no open hostility between them either which Ginny supposed was an improvement. She remembered several stories Ron and Harry had told her about how Pansy made fun of Neville for everyone to hear.

She watched as George and Katie made their way across the yard towards Fred and Angelina. Their match was also uncommon as far as signs: each one sporting a small shower of fireworks over their heads that changed colours at the same time. George's shoulder occasionally brushed Katie's and the girl made no moves to try and pull away. With the flick of his wand, George pitched a sandwich to Fred which hit him square in the chest. A moment later she heard a chorus of curse words being sung as the boys ran after each other.

"They seem happy, don't they?" Hermione asked.

Ginny nodded. "They're already a family, and it's only been a couple days."

"The cup is making good decisions, then."

Hermione leaned back, propping herself up on her elbows. Ginny noticed that Ron's eyes flicked towards her for a moment before refocusing on Harry. Hermione seemed oblivious.

"Did you hear that Lina Tande and Justin Finch-Fletchley were matched?"

That was no surprise; the two had been dating for years now. Ginny couldn't picture Lina with anyone else. She grinned.

"All of Hogwarts saw that coming."

"Still." Hermione shrugged. "It's worth something."

Ginny nodded. "Even Neville and Pansy aren't soo bad, really. I mean at least they haven't strangled one another."

"_Yet_, Weasley."

The voice was cool and filled with thinly veiled amusement. Ginny jumped. Hermione had stiffened and, in unison, both girls grit their teeth. Draco Malfoy and a few of his friends leaned casually on the tree, looking down at them. Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Malfoy."

At his name, both Harry and Ron's heads snapped up. Luna looked more curious than anything else. Ginny and Hermione were both already on their feet, and the boys both scrambled up, drawing wands from their pockets. Malfoy's voice was a slow drawl, and she wondered how much of it was genuine and how much of it was for effect.

"None of you matched with your dream mate yet? No desirable qualities to pair you with someone?"

Harry took an automatic step forward. "You're not matched either, Malfoy."

"How would you know?" Malfoy scoffed. "Been following me around Potter?"

The blond boy smirked, and raised one challenging eyebrow. The boys around him were vibrating with excitement, like eager hunting dogs waiting for the kill..

"Sod off, Malfoy."

Harry started towards the castle. Ron and Hermione fell into step behind him. Her brother still had a firm grip on his wand, and his knuckles had gone white from squeezing the wood so tightly. Harry marched ahead like a general leading his soldiers into battle. Ginny would have laughed at his theatrics if Malfoy weren't watching her so intently.

"And what about you, Weaselette?" His voice was soft and languid, but there was a sharp edge to it, a knife hidden in cotton. "No husband willing to raise a small army of redheaded children?"

Ginny pursed her lips. "No one good enough for me yet, I suppose."

"You mean more like no one willing to put up with you." Malfoy sneered.

Ginny stepped forward with her wand clutched in her hand. What she was going to do next was debatable, but before she could do anything, Luna caught her arm.

"Come on Gin. We've got class."

Her misty eyes were round like twin sickles. Ginny glared at Malfoy harshly while allowing herself to be tugged along by her sleeve, following the path that the other three had taken minutes ago.

She glanced back at the blond boy behind her before they made their way back into the castle. Malfoy was watching her consideringly with a slight smirk on his face.

* * *

><p>Ginny breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the Charms classroom later that afternoon. Her head was still spinning from Potions class. There was a list of ingredients printed on the back of her eyelids, and while the order was simple enough, the actual potion itself was dead tricky. On top of it, Snape had taken delight in assigning them a 3 ft essay that looked to be near impossible. Unless, of course, Ginny had been Hermione or Malfoy, both of which she wasn't.<p>

Needless to say, Ginny was pleased to be back where she belonged. Last year, Professor Flitwick had offered her a place in an advanced Charms class. Ginny had hesitantly agreed not wanting to make a spectacle of the fact she would be ahead of everyone in her year. Charms was a branch of magic that came to her easily without much thought. Sometimes she wished she had that ability in her other classes as well.

"Ginny!"

Lavender waved her over, and she slid in beside her three dorm mates. Flitwick waited for everyone to hurry to their seats and settle down before launching into his latest lesson. She saw, with some relief, that today's lesson was how to enchant a broom. Ginny had already covered that in the summer over a particularly boring weekend.

Up at the front, Flitwick demonstrated the wand work. There was a flash of gold, and then the broom hovered a few feet off the ground, looking ready to take off. "That, my dear children, is the proper method to enchant a broom. Tricky, yes. but simple once you have it."

To Ginny's amusement, both Harry and Malfoy perked up, paying rapt attention. They reminded her of two dogs on a bone, and she couldn't help but smirk. Ron was practically salivating.

"You should all have your practice brooms completed by next week," Flitwick instructed, his squeaky voice breathy with excitement. "You have today and tomorrow to practice in class. After that, please see the textbook for further instruction."

The rest of the class went exactly as Ginny expected it to: Ron and Harry seemed determined to master the spell before Malfoy, and Malfoy was doing his best to hinder the other two from learning it. Hermione's face was growing redder, mad she hasn't yet managed to enchant it. Suddenly a bang sounded and everyone jumped back. Seamus has managed to set his broom on fire. Ginny pretended to struggle with the charm, adding spells to increase the difficulty as to not draw attention to herself. She was relieved to find that she made the same amount of progress as everyone else did.

"Well done everyone!" Flitwick clapped his hands together, jumping up on a stack of books so that he could beam at them all proudly. "I've never seen a class work so quickly before. That was truly-"

The professor stopped mid-sentence as he heard another bang. He turned and looked over at Seamus who jumped back thinking his broom was on fire again.

"That wasn't me this time professor. I swear!"

"Mr. Finnigan." Ginny swore Flitwick's voice had rose another full octave if that was even possible. "You seem to have…"

"I have what?!" Seamus looked alarmed looking around, but everyone else was looking above him.

"Well, I believe you've been matched" pointing to Seamus's head.

"What?!" Seamus finally looked up and saw what everyone was staring up. A green arrow had appeared above his head. The boy let out a shout, scrambling backwards as if he could escape it. When he reached up to swat it away, his hand passed straight through it. A sound of torment escaped him.

"Who… who is it?"

Seamus was like a dog chasing its own tail, and he twisted and turned to see where the arrow was pointing. He glanced uneasily at where Millicent Bulstrode stood, looking like she had just swallowed two tons of Bubotuber pus. Seamus looked horrified.

"You have got to be barking mad!"

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_I decided to change a few of the secondary characters matches in that last chapter along with some of the signs that are given as matches and some of the dialogue from the original. What will happen next?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 -<strong>

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><p>Word of Seamus being matched with Millicent spread quickly even by Hogwarts standards. Rumors abounded with such tales claiming Millicent was so mad about the pairing she broke both of Seamus's arms and now was in the hospital for a week. Others claimed that Seamus not only set his broom on fire but tried to set Millicent on fire as well.<p>

"Something on your mind, Gin?"

Luna had her chin propped on her hand, and her blonde hair spilled over her shoulders and on to the table between them. Their textbooks lay open in a half-hearted attempt at studying. Luna's grey eyes were staring at her intently as Ginny pretended to be concentrating.

"No."

Ginny tried to read her own small, cramped handwriting, but the letters swam off the page. Luna reached across the table to shut the notebook.

"Ginny Weasley, I know you much too well for that," she said.

Her gaze was a mixture of reproach and indignation. Ginny squirmed uncomfortably. After a few moments she released a huge sigh.

"I don't know, Luna."

"Come on. What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Ginny peeked through her fingers. "It's silly."

"I won't mind."

The redhead drew a breath. "Sometimes, I just feel as if I should have found my match already."

"Ginny." Luna's voice was stern. "Half of Hogwarts hasn't been matched yet, including me; don't worry about being alone."

She shook her head mutely. "It's not just that. I'm frightened that I _won_'_t _find my match; maybe there's something wrong with me. Maybe the cup is hesitant because I'm supposed to end up alone."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Yes," Luna said, and her voice was soft. "It is, because you are the most lovable person that I know. The problem isn't that there isn't a person for you, it's that there's too many who would be lucky to have you."

But Ginny wasn't done. "What if it's someone awful?"

"It won't be," she said firmly. "Look at your brothers and their matches; it worked out better than if they had planned it themselves."

Ginny dropped her hands with a sigh, Luna was watching her with a serene expression, her silver eyes filled with mist and dreams. She scooted her chair over, moving until she was beside Ginny. Her hand squeezed Ginny's shoulder.

"Hermione hasn't found someone," she said. "Neither has Harry, Lavender, or Ron. You really aren't alone. And I won't ever let you be alone."

"I know," Ginny said quietly. "Thank-you."

She managed a brave smile. Her hands were clamped on to the sides of her notebook like a lifeline, but she relaxed her grip was she breathed out. Blood rushed into her knuckles. Luna reached into her bag, pushing a square of chocolate towards Ginny. She grabbed it a took a nibble.

"Now," Luna said briskly, "you owe me for both the advice and the chocolate. I expect to collect in a week's time when I disintegrate into insanity."

Luna flipped open her textbook, and then began to read as if Ginny hadn't just turned into a mess and nothing had happened at all. Ginny felt a rush of affection for her friend. Hurriedly, she scarfed down the rest of the chocolate, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Madam Pince would have kittens if she saw her.

* * *

><p>"Ginny!"<p>

She had been walking down the grassy hill on her way to Herbology, but stopped and spun around with her hand already diving into her pocket to retrieve her wand. Ron was hurrying down the slope towards her. His trainers skid on the slick turf, but managed to stay upright. His face was flushed from running.

Ginny blew out a breathe when she realized it was Ron. Hannah Abbott who was walking to class with her had stopped as well.

"You scared me Ron! What's going on?" Ginny demanded.

Ron was grinning from ear to ear. "He's done it."

"What are you on about?"

"Fred!" Ron was practically dancing with excitement. "He's done it!"

Her brother was bounding along side them, and they had nearly reached the greenhouses, now. Ginny turned to offer Hannah an apologetic look. She jerked her thumb towards the nearest greenhouse.

"You can go on ahead, if you'd like. I'll be right in."

Hannah pulled a face. "Are you mad? We're working with Snargaluff plants today. I'm waiting outside until Professor Sprout drags me in by the ears."

"Suit yourself." Ginny shrugged. "But be warned: once Ron starts, it's impossible to make him stop."

Hannah rolled her eyes. "You should hear some of the people in the Hufflepuff common room. They never shut up."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Ron picked her up. Apparently unable to contain his excitement anymore, her brother swung her around. Ginny let out a shriek as her feet left her ground. Suddenly, the world was spinning and the clouds blurred into blue sky.

"Ronald!" She thumped him helplessly on the back. "Put me down!"

She was set down roughly on her feet, and Ginny stumbled backwards a little, nearly knocking over Hannah. She could feel red hair sticking up all over her head. Ron, who didn't look remotely injured by her assaults, didn't seem to notice in his excitement.

"I can't believe he didn't tell us, the little bugger!"

Ginny mentally counted to three feeling annoyed. "Who's done what?"

"Fred!" Ron was vibrating with excitement, and there was a strange note of pride, disbelief, and confusion mixed into his voice. He shook his head. "Fred asked Angelina without telling any of us, except for maybe George."

Ginny stared at her brother for a moment. Ron's face was flushed, and his eyes glittered. What could Fred have asked Angelina that would have worked him into such a state? Well, it couldn't have been about quidditch, because-

It hit Ginny like a sack of bricks.

"_What_? Seriously?"

"I know!"

"You don't mean that… Fred asked Angelina to _marry _him?"

"Last night," Ron confirmed. "Had a ring and everything. He and George snuck Katie and Angelina down to Hogsmeade last night, and Fred asked her. In song of course since they're still speaking that way, out of the blue.

Ron's grin was infectious. Ginny's face ached from smiling, but she couldn't seem to get any words out, and she found herself utterly speechless as the news sunk in. Fred had asked Angelina to _marry _him; the two were going to have children that her mother could dote on, and a fancy wedding with a tall cake and bad music. Ginny threw herself at Ron, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I can't believe it! Ange is going to be one of the family!"

For the first time, she remembered that Hannah was here, too, and she turned to look at her friend excitedly. Hannah had been standing just behind her wand wasn't speaking; she had suddenly gone as white as a piece of parchment. Her gaze was fixed on Ron's arm, where Ginny had jostled his robes to reveal a patch of skin. Ron saw her expression and stopped smiling concern filling his face.

"Hannah?"

He took a step towards her. Hannah let out something like a strangled gasp, taking a few steps further back. She was staring at Ron as if she was seeing him for the first time. Her hands came up to ward him off.

"No. Don't come any closer." She sounded frightened.

Ron looked hurt. Ginny shot a look at her brother before hurrying to her friend's side. She laid a hand on her shoulder, but Hannah didn't seem to register it, and Ginny felt her eyebrows knit together.

"Hannah? Are you alright?"

Her friend's voice was a hiss. "What is that thing on Ron's shoulder?"

"Oh, that." Ginny let out a laugh, but it sounded like a deflated tire. "That would be the new birth mark that he grew overnight. It's a bit of a mystery, really. But it shouldn't bite you or anything, I promise."

Her explanation didn't have the effect she had been hoping for. Hannah paled even further until she looked like a ghost. Shaking Ginny off, she retreated several more steps before hitting the greenhouse wall. Ginny frowned. For the first time, it occurred to her that most people wouldn't have been staring at something that looked like a birthmark. Unless they knew Ron, they would have assumed that he'd always had it.

"Hannah?" Ginny asked again, only this time, an edge of panic made her voice sound cutting.

"What is it?"

Wordlessly, Hannah shrugged off her robe. She pulled off her own jumper, shivering in her t-shirt in the slight breeze. Her arms were pale and freckled. She lifted a sleeve to reveal up to her shoulder and they saw a mark identical to Ron's.

Ginny whipped around. Ron was staring at the mark in astonishment. He seemed rooted to the ground, his body frozen like some still from a muggle picture. Hannah swallowed hard. She must have known that she was staring at her match.

* * *

><p>If Ginny thought the story of Seamus and Millicent went quickly through the school it was nothing compared to everyone knowing that Fred Weasley had proposed to Angelina Johnson and the rumors floating around this piece of gossip was even crazier than the last. People speculated that the fast proposal was due to Angelina's illicit baby with George. The rumors of course never bothered Angelina and Fred and Ginny wouldn't have been surprised if Fred and and George had actually floated some of them. Hermione however who always preferred the truth, suggested to Angelina that they have a sleepover in the common room to clear everything up. Angelina agreed happy to be in the limelight.<p>

That night the Gryffindor girls gathered for a massive sleepover in the common room. Purple sleeping bags were squashed over every inch of floor space angled toward the middle with Angelina's sleeping bag was center. Angelina sat there looking like a queen ruling over her court and her people had come to hear her speak. The fireplace bathed her face in gold and red as she excitedly explained how it happened.

"Then Fred said to me – and I quote – 'Angelina, I'm not usually one to serenade a girl, but ever since you agreed to go out with me, that's all I've been able to do. I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm in love with you, and… oh, bother it all, will you marry me, Ange?"

The rendition of her engagement was met with a chorus of giggles and a few titters from the older girls. Each hung on every word that Angelina said. Ginny was feeling slightly nauseous at the prospect of one of her brother's being romantic, but she managed a smile.

Angelina grinned. "So then I said-"

There was a loud _bang_, and then the portrait hole flew open. Four figures clambered in, and Ginny could make out the Dean Thomas who had a firm grip on Seamus' shoulders. Parvati and Lavender followed. Parvati's cheeks were red, and there were several suspicious looking marks on her neck.

"Well." Angelina's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Where were you, two?"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Trying to stop Seamus and Millicent from killing one another. They were fighting down in the dungeons again."

Parvati and Lavender moved carefully through the common room to not tread on anyone as they found places beside Ginny.

" So, I heard you're engaged, then."

"You missed my story." Angelina's lower lip jutted out. "This has been my best telling yet, you know. The first five were just for practice."

Katie who was sitting beside Angelina and had heard the proposal firsthand along with each rendition nudged her. "Dibs Maid of Honor."

"Obviously." Angelina responded. The girls giggled.

Angelina looked ready to launch back into her story with renewed fervor. Not looking forward to more details on her brother's methods of wooing women, Ginny cleared her throat, capturing the attention of the room. She figured the rumors had been cleared up enough for one night.

"Actually, we should go over who's been paired off."

"Brilliant." Hermione said catching the fact Ginny was trying to change the subject. "We're three days in, now, so the selection should be cut almost in half of what it originally was. In four more days, everyone will be matched."

Her words were met with fearful looks of those who hadn't yet been paired accompanied by a couple of excited whispers.

Lavender who was always up on the latest gossip squealed with delight. She began to tick off fingers of all they knew of so far.

Parvati and Michael, Angelina and Fred, Katie and George, Colin and Ruth Mina, Ernie Macmillian and Eloise Midgen, Vincent Crabbe and Flora Carrow, Gregory Goyle and Hestia Carrow, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Lina Tande-"

"No surprise there," Ginny cut in.

Lavender didn't so much as blink before continuing, " Neville and Pansy-"

"_That_ was a surprise. Along with Seamus and Millicent."

Several other girls murmured their agreement. There was a ripple of unease, and Ginny could tell that everyone was thinking the same thing: if it happened to Neville and Seamus, it could happen to any of them. Each girl could be paired with a Slytherin, whether she liked it or not.

"That wasn't the oddest one, though." Parvati crossed her long legs in front of her. "What about

Terry Boot and that fourteen year old? Bugger, I can't remember her name."

"Daphne Greengrass?" Ginny asked.

"Yes!" Parvati snapped her fingers. "That one; she's nearly four years younger than he is. What was the cup thinking?"

There was another contemplative silence, although the unease had lessened. Personally, Ginny would have rather been Terry than Neville: she would take a ten-year age difference over a Slytherin any day.

"Oi!" Lavender poked Ginny in the side. "Weren't you saying that your brother was matched today? Ron and Hannah Abbott, right?"

Ginny could have smacked her friend. As it was, she buried her head in her hands, horrified. It wasn't supposed to be a secret, exactly, but she had told Lavender with the intention of keeping it quiet. She had wanted to give Ron enough time to tell Hermione, but judging by the other girl's stricken expression, he hadn't yet.

"What?" Hermione's face was aghast. "When did that happen?"

"This afternoon." Lavender was obliviously cheerful. "They're together now, aren't they, Gin? Not that they have any choice really…"

"Yeah." Ginny took her head out of her hands. She made sure to watch Hermione's expression out of the corner of her eye, choosing her words very carefully. "He asked her to that Inter-Unity ball that people keep talking about as a sign of good faith."

"Well." Angelina raised her voice dramatically. "That means that I'll be related to…"

Her words were met with a couple of groans from the crowd. They were undoubtedly imagining the length of that list. Angelina spoke with surprising speed and confidence, listing each Weasley sibling and their significant other as if she was reading from a Weasley family tree. It was only when she reached Ginny's name that she frowned.

"And you haven't been matched, have you Ginny?"

Everyone's eyes shot to her face, and she felt a telltale flush creep up her neck. Their eyes made her feel hot and uncomfortable. She was rarely pleased to be in spotlight, and her pale skin liked to show that. Luckily, Lavender came to her rescue.

"I'm tired," she complained, winking at Ginny. "If I'm going to be matched, I need my beauty rest. Who knows when it could happen?"

"Me too." Parvati settled back into her sleeping bag, using the crook of her elbow as a pillow. "I'm supposed to meet before breakfast with-"

"Michael!"

It was a unanimous shout, and Parvati flushed. Next to her friend, Alicia was searching fruitlessly for a pillow, and Ginny tossed one at her. Alicia gave her a silent thumbs-up before settling in next to Katie.

Angelina smiled. "Alright. We better get some sleep. Nobody is skiving off Quidditch practice just because we stayed up late. Good night, everyone."

Several other girls offered sleepy replies, their eyes already closing. Hermione gave a half-hearted wave from the couch. Ginny's mind was foggy, and somewhere in between adjusting her sleeping bag and saying good night, she fell asleep.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_As you can see subtle changes are taking place from the original. Most of the matches have and will stay the same, but as the story goes on it will start to change a lot of the dialogue to my take with more insight to a certain person's thoughts, I just need to get there first. Thanks for sticking with me._

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 -<strong>

* * *

><p>"Again, from the top!"<p>

Angelina swooped gracefully down on her broom. Her hair was soaked and plastered to her face, and Ginny couldn't tell if Angelina could see much of anything at all. She pushed violently at her own sopping red hair. The rain was coming down like bullets, and her hands had frozen to her broom long ago.

Ginny glanced enviously at her friends down below. Hermione, Lavender, and Luna were munching idly on toast, a cluster of charmed umbrellas obscuring their faces. Ginny loved quidditch, but she would have given an arm and both of her legs to be with them right now. She fought the rising urge to scream.

"Bloody hell, Angelina!" George shouted. His uniform clung to his arms and neck, as if someone had recently dumped a large bucket of water over his head. "We've been going at this for two hours, now. Don't you think it's time we take a break?"

He glanced nervously at Katie, who was shivering violently. Her lips were stained blue, as if she had recently eaten a large carton of blueberries. Angelina looked at Fred, who shrugged; Ginny could tell that even he was beginning to seriously doubt the sanity of his fiancé.

"It is pretty cold, Ange," he said.

"Buck up, Weasleys," their captain barked, although she sounded weary, too. "We're not leaving until we nail this routine. We play Slytherin soon, and I'll be damned if we lose. This is a big one."

Her words had roused the team, and they surveyed each other with grim looks of determination. The mention of Slytherin house was enough to make any Gryffindor forget even the hardest of storms.

"Let's do it," Harry called, earning a smile from Angelina. "The faster we learn this, the sooner we can go inside."

"Pattern Seven," Angelina yelled, circling her broom in midair. "I want a left hook from Ginny and a backhand receive from Katie. Cormas, try to intercept it at the last moment all right? I want the element of surprise. Let's go, team!"

The team zoomed past her and into the rain, squinting against the hard onslaught. Fred stopped to squeeze Angelina's shoulder. Ginny took her own position, launching into a dive that was shortly followed by a roll to avoid a well-placed bludger from George. She feinted to the left, tossing the quaffle to Katie, who passed it to Angelina. The play went seamlessly, and she felt a burst of pride. They really did have a chance this year.

It was about twenty minutes later when the first whistle reached Ginny's ears. She stopped, suspended in mid-roll. Angelina shouted something over the rain, and Ginny heard the word _finished_. Her announcement was met with an eruption of cheers from the team.

They gathered in a tight knot about twenty-five feet up. Her teammates all looked like they had been swimming recently, but each was grinning from ear-to-ear. Angelina looked giddy with excitement.

"That was wonderful!" she shouted enthusiastically then a little sterner, "We'll discuss what went wrong later. In the mean time, let's just all hurry to the lock-"

A shrill scream split the air. Angelina cut off immediately, her hand jumping to where her wand should have been, had she not been in quidditch gear. Ginny's heartbeat picked up. She scanned the ground, recognizing the sound. A crumpled figure lay far below, splayed across the benches with two anxious figures hovering above her.

"It's Lavender!" Her voice was hoarse. "Something's wrong."

Panic rose inside her chest, a thick yellow cloud of noxious gas. She still had her wand with her. During the war, she had carried it everywhere, even to bed and the shower. Now, it was habit.

"No!" Ginny gasped. She looked at Angelina for less than a second before zooming off toward the stand. She sped so fast to the pitch that she almost collided with the stands, but with her quick reflexes was able to stop and jump off her broom. In the commotion she never hear the noise. Someone still in the air made a sharp, pained intake of breath. Cormac McLaggan had a made a fist and put it to his chest as he started to sway on his broom.

"McLaggen? Cormac? Are you all right? Look at me." Suddenly Harry snapped his fingers in his face.

McLaggen looked up slowly trying to make a noise, but instead as if in slow motion he slipped sideways off his broom his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell. Fred, George, and Harry all shot after him, their brooms diving in sync and catching him jump before he fell to the ground. They dismounted and laid him down.

Ginny only had eyes for Lavender. Her and Hermione were trying to wake her.

"What happened?" Ginny demanded.

"I don't know. We were talking and then I hear her make a scream and fall over. Just before she passed out she made a fist with her hand.

Ginny took her hand to find her pulse. She flipped over her palm and softly opened her hand. A fresh cut ran down the length of Lavender's hand, coloured a brilliant shade of amber. Ginny gasped. Hermione bent down closely to examine it.

"Have you ever seen a mark like that before?" Ginny asked.

"No. Not in any of the textbooks I've read about healing, curses, or magical marks." Hermione was wringing her hands.

"Surely Madam Pomfrey will be able to mend her. Whatever's wrong. Madam Pomfrey has never failed yet."

"Luna has run to get her."

"Oi! Girls! Something's happened to McLaggen! Come quick!" Fred hollered over to them.

Ginny looked at Hermione and squeezed her hand. " It will be all right. You stay with Lav. I'll be right back."

She had tried to sound reassuring. Ginny had a feeling she knew what was going on. She ran over to McLaggen slipping over the wet grass. She stopped where her brothers and Harry were beside him. She leaned over him and looked at his hand which was also clutched into a fist over his heart. She opened his hand to reveal an identical mark to Lavenders, but on the opposite hand like a mirror image. She frowned.

"Did he have this mark before?" she asked looking at each of the boys.

They all nodded.

"No, I've never seen it before. Do you think - "

Ginny held up her hand to stop him. He mind was spinning a million miles a minute. She looked back at Lavender and suddenly it dawned on her.

"I think I know what it means."

"What?" said both George and Fred at the same time.

"I think they've been matched."

"Seriously? What do we do?" Harry looked her.

"I think we need to put their hands together." Ginny said looking up.

Fred and George exchanged a glance as the understanding dawned on them as well. George sighed and nodded at his sister.

"Ah," he said. "The things we do for love."

Fred and George ran over to where Lavender laid. They carefully lifted her up cradling her between them. They walked back slowly careful as to not jar her around. They softly laid her beside Cormac where Ginny took their hands and laid them upon one another palm to palm and waited with baited breath.

Ginny heard feet coming quickly and looked up to see Luna and Madam Pomfrey running toward them. Madam Pomfrey quickly kneeled accessing the situation. Her eyes flicked to where Lavender and Cormac's hands were on top of each other's and the matron frowned.

Ginny felt her throat swell and doubt crept into her mind. Could her guess have been wrong? What if there was something else she should have done, but didn't and it cost her friends lives? Harry sensed Ginny stiffen beside her and saw the frightened look on her face. He put his arm around her and patted her shoulder while Ginny buried her face in her hands.

"What happened?" a feeble voice asked.

Ginny's head jerked up. Dazedly Lavender sat up rubbing her head with her right hand wincing. Ginny let out something between a gasp and a sob throwing herself at her friend and hugging her. Lavender smiled, but her eyes were anxious as she looked around and realized she wasn't in the stands anymore.

"Did I fall or something? I don't remember being on a broom." She looked down at her left hand and saw the mark and gasped. "What is that? What happened?" She demanded.

Ginny couldn't help it; her eyes shot to where Cormac still lay on the ground, unconscious.

Lavender followed her gaze. Her friend inhaled sharply, and scream stuck in her throat.

"You were matched." Ginny's voice was soft. "I guess the pain of your hand was too much, and you passed out."

"And Cormac?" Lavender whispered.

"The same thing," Ginny explained. "Only he hasn't woken up yet."

Lavender looked horrified and whimpered.

"We need to get them to the hospital wing. Ms. Brown go ahead up. I'll examine you shortly and give you a calming draught.

Lavender looked like she was about to argue, but didn't have the energy for it. Resigned, she slumped backwards, crying. Both Luna and Hermione stepped forwards, scooping her up and propping her body between them.

"Come on," Luna instructed, coaxing Lavender into a fully upright position. "We'll take you up to the Hospital Wing. You'll feel better once you're fixed up and in clean clothes."

Madam Pomfrey watched them go and then waved her wand. Magically she strapped Cormac to a stretcher that appeared.

"Levicorpus." The stretcher started to float beside Madam Pomfrey.

He was deathly still, and his face was drained. He looked as pale as the stretcher. Still, when Ginny looked closely, she saw the faintest movement: his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. Ginny dared to believe he would be o.k.

"Whose idea was it to put the two students' palms together?" Ginny flinched as Madam Pomfrey asked the question.

There was a moment of silence. Ginny could tell that everyone was trying very hard not to look at her, and she swallowed thickly, grateful for their loyalty. Still, she stepped forward.

"It was mine," she admitted.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "You're lucky girl. Had you not thought to do that they both could be dead."

It was an odd sort of expression of gratitude, but the matron had tried, and Ginny offered her a weak smile.

"Thirty points to Gryffindor," Madam Pomfrey said.

The smile was frozen. "Thank-you."

With that Madam Pomfrey started making her way back up to the castle with Cormac floating swiftly behind her.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Wow! Lots of drama going on in that last chapter! As you can see I've taken out a bit of story and dialogue from the original. Let's see what happens next..._

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 -<strong>

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><p>Ginny made her way over to the Hospital Wing the next morning. She had been there so many times over the years she knew the way by heart. As Ginny pushed open the doors she noted Parvati sitting beside Lavender whom was clutching Cormac's hand as he slept He had not yet woken from the accident, but Madam Pomfrey was working hard to mend him as fast as possible. Lavender stayed beside him through the night even after Madam Pomfrey released her refusing to eat supper or leave his side.<p>

As Ginny approached she could hear Parvati talking softly to her. It sounded like she was trying to convince her to leave the wing for a while.

"Come on Lav. You're exhausted and hungry. Come get some breakfast and have a rest. Then you can come back."

"But what if he wakes up while I'm gone? Then he won't know that I've been here the whole time waiting for him." Lavender cried.

"It will be fine. You won't be any good to him if you get sick too. You need to keep your strength up." Ginny said as she approached them.

Parvati looked at Ginny gratefully as Lavender sniffed and bit her lip still staring at Cormac. She seemed to be weighing what Ginny had said. Finally she sighed and nodded.

"O.k. I'll go." she resigned "But I'm coming right back after."

Ginny considered it a small win and didn't question the determined look her friend had on her face. She watched Lavender gently place Cormac's hand on his chest and kiss his forehead whispering something she couldn't hear. Ginny felt a pang within her heart. She hoped she'd feel like that with her match. She tried to shake the feeling as they made their way down to the Great Hall to get some much needed food.

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><p>Ginny yawned. She hadn't slept much last night between trying to study and worrying over Lavender and Cormac. She wondered how she would find out her match. Would she get the arrow that seemed to be common or would she get some crazy one like Lavender?<p>

She sighed as she listened to her brother talk during Care of Magical Creatures. Charlie had taken over after the war and Hagrid had taken a sabbatical with Grawp. Dumbledore had found a place for them in the mountains where muggles couldn't see while Hagrid cared for Grawp and taught him new things.

Looking around Ginny noticed a few cages on the ground that had a purple cover over them. Charlie was talking animatedly about something and watched several of the girls giggling and whispering. It was no surprise. Charlie was tanned and muscled having worked outside. He also had a few scars across his arms that came with interesting stories about dragons he worked with in Romania. A lot of girls considered him very fancible.

Hermione as always was up at the front looking with rapt attention. She of course was one of the best in the class and Charlie often called on her.

"All right class." Charlie said. Today I have a special treat for you. Today we're not only talking about Kneazles, but I also have a few with me today. Purebred Kneazles like the ones I have here are highly intelligent magical creatures that resemble muggle felines, but with longer ears and a plumed tail like a lion. There are many types of breeds and can vary in their fur color. They can make excellent pets though are also known to be aggressive which is why the Ministry deems them a Class 3X. Kneazle whiskers have also been known to be used as wand cores although it generally fell out of practice as they seemed to make inferior wands compared to those who wands contain Unicorn hair, Phoenix tail feathers, or Dragon heartstring.

Charlie turned and removed the purple sheeting from the cages. Underneath were 3 Kneazles. One was a golden color with black polka dots around his tail, one who was purple with a zebra pattern running along it's back, and one who was completely black except his face which was white.

"Now, kneazles can also be bred with muggle felines which helps drive down the aggression pure breeds often show and can have up to 8 kittens per litter." He looked up before continuing.

"Ms. Granger. I believe your cat Crookshanks is half-kneazle. That's why he's able solve problems and recognize people who are untrustworthy. He chose you because he deemed you worthy of his affection and companionship." Hermione blushed.

"Since you've had experience with these animals before, why don't you come up here and demonstrate the way they like to be held." Charlie smiled at her encouragingly.

Hermione nodded apprehensively. Charlie held out a hand and she took it as they walked over to the cages. However when Charlie went to let go to open it, he found he couldn't.

"O.k. Miss Granger -" he broke off as he looked at her.

"Er" Hermione's cheeks were bright pink. "I can't seem to let go professor." She whispered sounding mortified.

Charlie looked slightly incredulous. The students watched, somewhat delightedly, as the older boy tried to pull away. Hermione came right along with him. Their fingers were not entwined, but their palms were stuck together, as if with glue. Ginny pulled out her wand, whispered a spell, and then she could hear their heated exchange as if the pair stood right next to her.

"I seriously can't, Charlie," Hermione hissed. "My hand is attached to yours somehow. Did someone enchant the cage or something?"

"Probably." Charlie's voice was calm. "It must be a hex from one of the students. Can you cast some sort of counter-charm?"

"No." Hermione hesitated. "But Ginny might be able to."

The pair glanced to where Ginny stood, eavesdropping. Even if she hadn't been listening, Ginny knew Hermione well enough to know that she wanted her help. Without a second thought, Ginny started forward, only stopping when a hand caught her shoulder.

"Hold up," Ron said. "I'm coming with."

"Like hell you are." Ginny shook him off irritably. "Stay here."

Ron drew his wand. "Charlie's my brother, too!"

"That's my point!" Ginny snapped. "He's your brother, and so he's the last person in the world you want stuck to your… well, I don't know what Hermione is exactly, but I know that you're going to get jealous and do something stupid."

Ron looked taken aback. "That's not what-"

"Please, Ron." Ginny squeezed her brother's shoulder. "If Charlie was being eaten by the kneazles, then yes, you could help, but all he's currently in danger of is being permanently glued to Hermione."

Ron's blue eyes were wide. For a moment, Ginny was reminded of the time when they were little, and she had fallen off her broom and broke her arm. Ron had been terrified, but he had tried his best to hold it together for her. He hadn't wanted her to see how scared he was.

"Gin…" He scuffed the ground with his shoe. "I need to make sure she's okay."

"Ron, no." Ginny placed a hand on his forearm. "You're with Hannah. I'm not going to pretend that Hermione's thrilled about it, but I think it would be better for the both of you if you kept away from her for right now."

Ron nodded, and Ginny gave him a little shove, directing him towards the pack of students. Many were straining their necks to see the unfolding drama. Ron returned his wand to his robe pocket, and Ginny jogged in the direction of Charlie and Hermione.

"What's happening?" she demanded.

"I have no idea." Charlie shrugged almost sheepishly, holding up their interlocked hands. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly with his free hand.

"The second that I took Hermione's hand, it just sort of… stayed like that."

Ginny sighed. Leave it to her brother to glue himself to the one girl in the world who didn't want him. As if reading her thoughts, Hermione glanced up, grimacing. "Do you think you can undo the charm?"

Ginny shook her head. "It's nothing that I've ever seen before."

Suddenly it dawned on her, a horrible sense of déjà vu crept over her, climbing up her spine like icy fingers. The wheels in her mind began to turn. With awful clarity, she remembered saying the same words yesterday.

"Charlie," Ginny said, turning to address her brother. "Do you mind if Hermione and I have a private word?"

"Well, normally, I would say yes." Charlie raised their interlocked hands, and Ginny could tell that he was trying not to laugh. "But given the circumstances, I may have to rethink my position."

The students were growing restless; Ginny could see them were looking intently at them and whispering. She took out her wand. "I can cast a bubble charm around you so that you can't hear."

Surprisingly, it was Hermione that spoke. "No."

"No?" Ginny echoed.

"No," Hermione repeated. "Anything that you have to say to me, Charlie can hear, too. It affects both of us."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, but she didn't argue with her friend. "You're not going to like what I have to say."

"When do I ever?" Charlie asked good-naturedly.

Ginny closed her eyes briefly, gathering her courage. The pair looked so hopeful that it almost killed her just to say it; never in a million years had she thought that she would be put in this position.

"I think that you've been matched," she admitted. And then, after taking in their confused expressions, "with one another."

Hermione's mouth fell open, her free hand shooting up to touch her face in shock. Her hand, which had been slack a moment ago, was now gripping Charlie's tightly. Charlie, however, took it much better than Ginny had anticipated.

"That's impossible," he said calmly, as if commenting on the nice weather. "I'm not eligible; I'm over seventeen, and I'm not a Hogwarts student."

Ginny sighed; Charlie was stubborn to begin with, and arguing with him had all the purpose of shouting at a brick wall. If her brother was in denial, she wasn't going to try to convince him differently.

"I didn't say that it made sense; I didn't even say that I was certain. I said that, if I had to guess, that's what I would have told you."

Hermione's face was neutral, but Ginny saw her throat working as well as the gears in her head. "We should go directly to Dumbledore. He'll know what's happened."

She seemed to be avoiding Charlie's eyes, and Ginny's brother looked slightly miffed at being ignored. Ginny imagined it must have been frustrating for him to experience having a girl not give him the time of day. As she had suspected, her brother piped up, trying to regain Hermione's attention.

"We can go now, if you'd like. I can't teach like this anyway." Charlie resigned himself before turning to the class.

"Class is dismissed. Please read the chapter in your books about Kneazles and provide a synopsis of the text. 2 rolls of parchment should be handed in by next Monday."

Charlie nodded to Hermione as they made their way up to the castle to Dumbledore's office. From far away, Charlie could have been Ron and Ginny saw what she had always thought the future would hold; Ron and Hermione holding hands. But Ron could had never been able to calm Hermione down like Charlie had and, as if on cue, Ginny could hear Hermione's laugh floating over the lake.

Ginny turned and watched Ron staring at them a storm of emotions passing over his face. When he realized Ginny was watching he tried to cover it up. Ginny gave his a sad smile and moved to grab her things.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_What?! Can you believe that match? As you can see I've taken out a bit of story and dialogue from the original and added my own. Things are getting VERY interesting! What will happen next?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 7 -<strong>

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><p>During break Ginny found her friend in the library. She knew she'd be there. That was Hermione's place for everything. When she need to find something, learn something, when she was sad or even happy, she could always be found there. Ginny didn't bother with subtleties, instead she plopped right in front of her, put her elbow on the desk, and stared at her. Hermione glanced up and sighed.<p>

"I knew this was coming," she announced.

"What can I say?" Ginny grinned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I'm naturally nosy. Now spill or I'll stare at you the rest of the hour while you try to study."

Hermione sat back in her chair almost amused. "So, it happened. Just like you thought. We're matched."

Ginny almost fell out of her chair. "What? Wait, really?"

"Yea, I guess so." Hermione began to at her fingernails. "Dumbledore has no idea how it happened, but the Cup has spoken, and the contract is binding."

Her voice was very matter-of-fact, as if she was explaining a particularly complicated potion to Ginny. Her brown eyes were fixed on Ginny's face, analyzing her expression as she spoke. Ginny waved her off impatiently. "I just thought- since you're not holding hands-"

"Well during our conversation with Dumbledore, the effects started to wear off which is a good thing. This gives us time to tell people slowly."

Hermione swallowed and Ginny understood who _people_ meant. Ginny looked hard at Hermione. She seemed fairly calm. She wondered if Charlie had something to do with that. Ginny was torn between hitting her friend and hugging her. Hermione was going to be part of the family for real now. She would be at Christmas and birthdays and wedding. Ginny would be an aunt to her children.

"You're not angry are you?" Hermione was peering at her anxiously. Ginny shook her head.

"No, why would I be?"

"Please don't tell anyone yet. Charlie sent an owl to your mum after we left Dumbledore's office. He wants her to know first."

Ginny surprised herself and Hermione by laughing. She was glad it wasn't her having to send the owl. Mum would have his head. There was a silence between them.

"He's not so bad right? Your brother?"

"No. Out of all of my brothers he was the one who could get me to laugh."

"I can see why," Hermione admitted.

Ginny looked at her watch and stood. "Damn we better go. We've got another class before lunch."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Already trying to get rid of me?"

"Actually," she said, "I'll have to put up with you for the rest of my life now, and truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way." Ginny grinned.

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><p>"I can't do this," Hermione announced. "I think I'll skip lunch."<p>

She was standing at the doors to the Great Hall. She knew people would wonder what had happened during class. She didn't want to lie, but she wasn't ready to tell everyone yet.

The bushy-haired girl turned in the direction of the library. With a sigh, Ginny exchanged a grim look with Parvati . As one, they took hold of Hermione's arms, dragging her along with them through the door. Hermione, Parvati, and Ginny brought up the rear, and Lavender marched ahead.

"Matching isn't that bad," Parvati promised Hermione. "It's fine once you know who you're paired with."

Hermione winced almost imperceptibly. Ginny averted her eyes lest she give something away, hoping that Parvati hadn't caught sight of Hermione's reaction. Ginny gave Hermione's elbow a squeeze, and her friend smiled tightly.

"I'm just nervous," she said.

Ginny figured this much, at least, was true; Charlie would be there, sitting up at the Head table. It would be the first time that the two were in public together since the matching. Lavender offered Hermione a sympathetic smile.

"If it helps any," she said, "everybody else is feeling exactly the same way."

Ginny mentally kicked herself: that was perhaps the least helpful thing that Lavender could have offered. Hermione, no doubt reminded of her isolated position, went pale. Ginny swallowed thickly. Lavender, who looked both confused and frustrated, shot Ginny a helpless look.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Parvati reassured her. "You caused such a stir in Care of Magical Creatures that no one is going to care about who you're matched with."

Hermione's face drained of all color, and she looked like she might be ill. Her fingernails dug into Ginny's elbow. Ginny flinched, but didn't move.

"Let's just forget about it, alright?" she said. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Hermione gave her a grateful look. The other two merely shrugged as the parted to get seats at the table. Ginny caught sight of Ron immediately, his red hair standing out like a flame amidst a barren desert, and she called out. Her brother stood up, his expression clearing as he caught sight of them.

"Ginny!" Ron waved a hand. "Hermione! Over here."

Ginny felt a pang of pity and guilt in the pit of her stomach as Ron gave Hermione an affectionate poke. Her brother was naïve and trusting in a way that not many wizards were after the war.

When the news of Charlie and Hermione broke… well, she hoped that Ron was strong enough to survive it.

"Hello there" Ginny chirped, sliding in next to Harry. "What have we missed? Any matches we know?"

"Not really." Ron scratched behind his ear thoughtfully. "The cup can't seem to make up its mind whether to pair us all at once or make us wait."

His gaze strayed, almost automatically, to where Hannah sat at the Hufflepuff table. She looked especially pretty in a yellow sundress beneath her robes this morning, and Ron smiled a little.

Ginny felt herself mimicking her brother; at least there was progress there.

"Have you found your match yet, Hermione?" Harry asked.

Ginny felt her hand freeze as she reached for some stew. Harry's voice was casual, but there was something in his eyes that made her think he knew more than he was letting on. Harry had always been more observant than any of them gave him credit for. His eyes hadn't left Hermione's face, and her friend flushed as she shook her head.

"I actually-"

Hermione was cut off by the loud screech of an owl.

They all looked up nervously. Post should have already been delivered for the day. Why would an owl be coming now Ginny wondered. Ginny's stomach dropped when she realized it was Errol.

_Either Ron or me, then, _she thought. Her heart fell as Errol circled away from the Gryffindor table. And then, to her complete and utter horror, the owl landed at the Head table. Charlie blinked, startled. She saw his brow furrow. And then, his mouth set into a thin line. He held up the letter.

It was a Howler.

"Well, would you look at that?" Draco Malfoy had sat up straighter, craning his neck to get a better view of the staff table. Several students nearby had fallen quiet to listen. "Weasley Senior's got himself a Howler!" Draco writhed with excitement.

Ginny's mouth fell open in horror. Across from her, Hermione had gone a horrible, pasty color. Charlie was holding the letter away from him as if it was an exploding bomb. The entire hall had gone silent to listen, their eyes tracking the movement of the letter.

Hermione exchanged a frantic look with Charlie, who shook his head, almost helplessly. With surprisingly steady hands, he ripped open the letter. Lavender looked mildly curious, Parvati, confused, and Ron, vindictive. No doubt, he was hoping to watch his mother chew Charlie out for something. The letter exploded before Charlie had a chance to finish opening it. It raised itself into the air with a _cracking _sound, and Molly Weasley's magnified voice filled the Hall.

"Charles Weasley!" The voice was deafening, and several students winced and plugged their ears. "The next time you come home, you will find all the doors locked and your things on the porch! How dare you hide behind writing and a two-sentence letter; it was an immature and _cowardly _thing to do. Your father and I hoped that you might consider news as important as your _engagement _something to tell us in person!"

Gasps went through the crowd, exploding like fireworks. Students began whispering, turning in every direction. Ginny thought that she saw Professors Sprout and Flitwick exchange a few galleons. Hermione's face was positively flaming. Her gaze darted towards the door.

"Have we not raised you right, Charles?" Molly continued. "Have we taught you to hide from your problems and your family? I expect a formal apology both to your fiancée and myself! And, if you're listening, this is not your fault, Hermione, dear; we're quite pleased to have you as a daughter-in-law."

This time, there were a few shocked cries from the staff table as well. Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose. His face was composed, although his shoulders were hunched, as if he was braving a windstorm. Hermione looked like she would very much like the ground below her to swallow her whole.

Molly's voice continued, rising in pitch. "You will bring her for a visit, do you understand me,

Charlie Weasley? Immediately. I will know if you avoid your father and I, and remember what I said about your things on the porch."

With that, the Howler exploded, crumbling into dust and ash. Ginny watched, completely horror-struck, as the remains drifted to the ground. A stunned silence rang throughout the Hall.

Every student was staring either at Charlie or Hermione, the latter of who looked so embarrassed Ginny swore she looked redder than a lobster.

"Well." George whistled, low in his throat. "That was certainly interesting. Meal time entertainment at its finest, I'd say."

The twins exchanged a smirk, and then, in unison, looked to Charlie. Their older brother had the good grace to give them a small smile. Fred catcalled, and Angelina and Katie laughed. Slowly, conversation began again. Neville rather deliberately engaged several Gryffindors in conversation, pulling their gazes from Hermione. The mortified girl took the opportunity to dash out of the hall, leaving her lunch untouched. Charlie followed shortly after her.

"Did you know?"

Ginny glanced up. Ron was staring hard at her, and Ginny felt the guilty inside of her begin to wind itself into a tight ball.

"She asked me not to tell," she said simply.

Ron gave no sign that he had heard her. His expression was blank, but he stabbed at his steak and kidney pie. She knew if he wasn't eating everything in sight that he was really upset. Ginny frowned. She wished that he would yell, or scream, or something. Anything was better than pretending that everything was all right. Eventually he pushed away from the table. He sighed and looked resigned glancing again at Hannah a smile appearing on his lips as he left the hall.

* * *

><p>"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna asked.<p>

Ginny watched as the other girl's wrist flicked back, and then snapped, releasing a pebble. The rock skirted along the lake's surface a few times before sinking. Ginny pushed her red hair impatiently behind her ear, shaking her head.

"Not right now," she admitted. "I'm happy for Hermione and Charlie, but I don't think that I can talk to one more person about it. Everyone has been asking me questions about it all day"

Luna passed Ginny a stone. With a grunt, she pitched it at the lake. Ginny pulled a face as it sank straight to the bottom of the lake, falling in time with her heart. Luna watched it too, thinking.

"I heard Romilda Vane got matched with Zacharias Smith today. I saw arrows hovering around their heads on the way to class." Ginny launched another rock into the water.

"Yea. Dean Thomas and Susan Bones also got paired," said Luna tentatively.

"I feel like all the good ones will be taken before we're matched." Ginny sighed and then plopped down along the bank of the lake. Luna sat carefully beside her.

"Do you think we'll be happy? I mean when we find our matches?"

Luna, who was always so steady and certain, was looking to Ginny for reassurance. Ginny felt the hole in her heart gape even wider than it had been before. She shrugged, playing with the rocks along the shoreline.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I think we'll be all right with it eventually; the system tests for aptitude, remember? Whoever it is will be compatible with us, whether we realize it or not. I mean look at Neville and Parkinson. They might not be best mates yet, but they seem to be getting along. Never in a million years before this law would you have even found them in the same room with one another. They seem protective of each other "

Luna shivered, pulling her robes more securely around her shoulders. "Do you think I'll love him whoever he is?"

"I know you will," Ginny told her. "And he'll love you just as much."

Luna let out a breath, and it hung in the air like a cloud of spun sugar.

"I have something to tell you," she said slowly.

Her voice was filled with a strange combination of reluctance, excitement, and anxiety. Ginny scooted closer to her.

"What is it?" she asked cautiously.

Luna smiled, and it curved mischievously at the ends.

"Yesterday night, I began to have these images that keep growing stronger. I mean, they're still pretty faint, but I catch bits of things I recognize: a quidditch pitch, or a cauldron cake. I don't mean to sound completely mad," she added, catching Ginny's look of disbelief, "but I think that I can read my match's mind."

Ginny stood, stunned, staring at Luna. A rock sat forgotten in the palm of her hand. Then, she felt her face split into a wide smile.

"Luna! That's brilliant. Do you have any idea who it might be?"

For a moment, Ginny thought that she saw something odd flicker across Luna's face, but the other girl's face cleared so quickly that she might have imagined it. Luna shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying.

"Not yet," she admitted, "but I'm trying. I have the feeling that he can read my mind too, so who knows? He might find me first."

Ginny whistled, impressed. The stone had grown cold in her hands, and she let it fall to the ground.

"That's incredible, Lu."

Luna plopped down beside her. "You're not angry, are you?"

"Of course not," Ginny said, elbowing her. "So long as you're not upset, that is. Then I'll become a force to be reckoned with."

Luna laughed. "I'm not, actually. In fact, I might just be happy."

The excitement that had bubbled beneath the surface had finally broken through the skin of her words, leaking into her voice. Ginny rubbed at her arms trying to shake the cold that hung in the arms. She still didn't know what to think about all this, but she plastered on what she hoped to be a convincing smile.

"You're happy?"

"Yea, I think so."

"Well, then," Ginny said, "that's all I need to hear."

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Mind reading? Will Luna figure out her match soon? As you can see I have skipped ahead a little from the original story. Only a couple days left until the matches are complete! Who will be next?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 8 - <strong>

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><p>Ginny was sweating over her potion. She triple checked the ingredients, but it wasn't anywhere near the consistency her book said it should be. It looked more like a thin soup than the thick gravy the picture showed. She cursed under her breath. She couldn't afford another incomplete if Snape decided it wasn't up to snuff. She looked again at her book through the haze of smoke coming from her cauldron trying to figure out what to do.<p>

"Your potion should be at the correct consistency by now. It will need to stew for another 30 minutes before you will collect a flask, label it, and put it on my desk." Snape said as he swept across the other side of the room.

"Ginny!" Luna whispered urgently.

Ginny ignored her friend as she feverishly stirred her potion. A hand shook her her arm insistently. Ginny frowned and tried to shake her off. She caught a glimpse of Luna's annoyed expression out of the corner of her eye.

"Ginny Weasley!" she hissed. "Listen to me!"

This time she pulled on Ginny's ponytail sending a jolt of pain through her scalp. Ginny turned her eyes narrow.

"Luna! What? I'm trying to concentrate here" she whispered frantically. "We can talk after class all right?"

She immediately regretted her harsh words when she saw Luna's expression. She had gone as white as parchment and there was dread written all over her face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ginny demanded.

Luna tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth except for a tiny squeak. Ginny saw her looking over her shoulder and immediately spun around to see Professor Snape standing beside them lurking. Luna shrunk back as Snape sneered.

"Oh, do go on, Miss Lovegood." His words were soft, venomous. "Whatever you had to say was obviously of more importance than my class. I'm sure that we'd all love to hear it." He swept his hands across showing all the students silently staring at them.

Luna paled further. Ginny kicked her beneath the desk, and she stared Snape directly in his beady black eyes. When she spoke, her teeth were gritted.

"It was nothing, professor."

Snape's lip curled. "The next time that _nothing _occurs in my class, Miss Weasley, I'll take house points."

As soon as Snape retreated to the board, resuming his lecture, Ginny leaned towards Luna. Her friend was twirling a quill around and around at a growing pace, and her eyes were scrunched up.

"Oi!" Ginny knocked the quill out of her hand. "You look like you're about to be ill; what is it?"

Luna bit her lip. She chanced a glance over her shoulder to make sure that Snape wasn't watching before speaking, her voice a murmur.

"I can talk to my match now. In my head."

There was a moment of stunned silence before Ginny lost it completely, forgetting all about being quiet. "You can _what_? In your-"

"Ten points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw!" Snape turned and announced triumphantly.

His long, bony finger pointed at the two of them, and the class watched the exchange like a ping pong match, their heads swivelling back and forth. Ginny scowled and counted silently to 10. Ginny pursed her lips and looked at him.

"Sorry, professor," she apologized sweetly.

"Interrupt my class again and it will be 50 points each." Snape said almost salivating at the thought. He turned and walked down the aisle peering at other students potion.

Ginny was muttering curses and things Snape could do with those points under her breath.

"Ginny." Luna coughed. "Shut-up." She gave her a pointed look.

Ginny caught the looked and blushed. "Sorry."

"We need to talk. _Now._" Luna motioned emphatically. "We need to get out of here."

"Hold on. Let me think." Ginny furrowed her brow and started checking her robe pockets. Suddenly her eyes lit up as she pulled out what looked like a couple pieces of candy. She held it up for Luna to see. Luna looked confused.

"No, thanks. I don't want any candy right now."

"No, silly. Look. They're not ordinary sweets. They're some of my brothers _special_ treats. You know for their _Skiving Snackboxes._ The teachers haven't seen these ones yet. They just developed them. Here take one and eat the orange end. It will guarantee us a trip to the hospital wing. Then we just need to eat the purple end and we'll be fine."

"Brillant! But… are they safe?" Luna looked uncertain at the piece Ginny had handed to her.

"Of course. Fred and George have already tested them. Come on. We'll only feel bad just long enough to get out of here."

Ginny started to unwrap half of the candy and quickly bit into it the orange end. She then stuffed it quickly into her pocket. Immediately her body began swell like a balloon. Luna took her piece as well. Her hands and face started to blister. She cried out.

Instantly Snape turned to them about to shout when he gasped.

He peered at both of them suspiciously.

"What do you think you're doing?"

All Luna could do was moan her hands face felt like she had just dipped them in Bubotuber Pus. Ginny however looked like soon she would float away.

Snape looked furious. "Get yourselves together and get out of my class immediately. Go up to the hospital wing. I will be informing Dumbledore about this."

Ginny drifted to the door with Luna wincing beside her. They walked slowly out of the dungeons and up to the main castle before Luna pulled out the other half of the candy and forced it down. Then she rummaged through Ginny's pocket to get her sweet and helped her put it in her mouth as her hands had swollen far too much for her to grab anything. Slowly she deflated like someone had pricked her with a pin. Lunas hands had healed, but they were stiff as she worked them around.

"Wow! They worked!" Luna laughed.

"Yea Fred and George really know their stuff."

"We better get over to the hospital wing before someone finds us."

Once they got to the Hospital wing Madam Pomfrey jumped on top of them forcing them each to a bed while she examined them. 2 beds down laid Cormac. He was still not healed completely from his matching incident and had yet to wake up. Luckily Lavender was not sitting there holding a vigil. Parvati must have convinced her to leave for a little while.

"What in the world made you spontaneously break out in blisters and blow up like a balloon?" she demanded.

"I'm not sure. We were mixing a potion and I think we may have messed up some of the ingredients" Ginny said innocently.

Madam Pomfrey peered at them. "You'll rest here until dinner. I need to speak to Professor Snape for a moment."

She walked out of the room most likely to drill Snape on what had happened. Finally they were alone except for Cormac.

"So tell me what we just risked detention and about 100 house points getting out of Potions class for?" Ginny demanded. "How can you talk to your match in your head?"

"Well," Luna hesitated. "I'm not exactly sure how. It must be something to do with how we're matched. Unless I'm going mad there's another voice in my head."

"So what is the voice saying?"

"While we were in class we were asking each other questions like our favourite colour and things like that. I made him laugh out loud. His friends think he's mad because he hasn't told them yet."

"You can see his friends?" asked GInny incredulously.

"No, not really. They're more like little lights, but I can't see anything specific about them. "

Ginny sat quiet pondering this for a moment.

"Are you talking to him right now? she asked, hoping that this passed for a reasonable question. "I mean, is it like exchanging owls? Or is it more like a phone call?" At Luna's blank look, Ginny realized that Luna had probably never seen a telephone without having Arthur Weasley as a father, and she quickly elaborated. "I mean, can you talk to him?"

Luna frowned. "I'm not talking to him right now, but I have impressions of how he's feeling. Right now, I can tell that he's frustrated because he can't figure out who I'm talking to; I won't let him see you."

"Probably because you're not giving him any hints either," Ginny guessed, and Luna coloured. "Am I right?"

"I guess we're both stubborn," Luna admitted.

Ginny grinned, leaning forward. "Any guesses as to who it is?"

She was surprised to see Luna withdraw a little. Her eyes shut briefly, and when they reopened, there were fences around them. She was guarding her words carefully. "It doesn't matter."

"Lu." Ginny reached out, placing her hand on her friend's. "You're one of my best friends; you can trust me, you know."

"You might not like what I say," Luna hedged.

Ginny kept her face even. "Try me."

"Alright." Luna threw her hands up. "I think that he's in Slytherin."

The words took a moment to register in Ginny's head. Luna was scrutinizing her reaction carefully, and it took all of Ginny's might to remain calm. She quickly squashed several responses that immediately came to her: Luna's expression was eager hope, and she didn't want to shatter it.

"Well, that's… interesting." Her voice was almost too bright. Luna's face fell, and she hurried to redeem herself. "I mean, there's bound to be a couple good ones in Slytherin, Lu."

The words still sounded fake and plastic, like the wallpaper marauding as flowers. Ginny winced; she might as well have told Luna that she hated the idea altogether. Luna offered her a small smile anyways.

"Thanks, Gin."

Ginny nodded, and although neither girl spoke, Ginny knew what they both were thinking: if Ginny was matched with a Slytherin, there was no way that she was surviving it. In fact, Ginny thought, she might just jump into the lake and join the Mer people.

* * *

><p>On their way to dinner, Ginny and Luna almost knocked into Colin Creevey. He had been running and didn't see them come down the steps.<p>

"Oh! Sorry ladies. Didn't see you there, but good timing as it were. I was told to give you a message." Colin looked nervous. Ginny and Luna exchanged an uncertain glance.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"Professor Snape said to meet him in the Headmasters office immediately before dinner. Something to do with class today." Colin looked at them curiously.

Luna gulped as the colour started draining from her face. Ginny however became flushed. They turned and made their way quickly to the Headmasters chamber. When they got to the statue outside his office it immediately jumped to the side to reveal a staircase. As they slowly walked up they heard voices arguing softly. The door opened and they stepped inside.

Dumbledore motioned for the girls to sit at two chairs in front of his desk. Before Dumbledore could say a word, Snape pointed at them shouting.

"Headmaster they intentionally caused a disruption in my class multiple times and even went so far as to fake an illness."

"Severus. Madam Pomfrey tells me the girls were indeed sick though how she can not say." Dumbledore almost sounded amused.

"You must be joking Headmaster," he said. It would appear that these students are in need of serious punishment. Someone must inform them that the Potions classroom is not their personal circus. They need to be made an example of before someone else decides to follow their lead."

Dumbledore smiled benignly. Ginny thought that he looked quite delighted by the whole situation, and he chewed thoughtfully on a lemon drop.

"Severus, given the circumstances the week has to offer, I couldn't imagine the strange things happening be the students causing it. I'm sure it has something to do with the way they're being matched. Would you girls disagree with this statement?"

Meekly, Ginny shook her head. Luna's eyes widened angelically. Snape's eyes cut them in half and he looked even more infuriated than he had been before. Ginny smiled at him sweetly.

"Honestly, professor I don't know what happened," she said innocently. "I was just working on my potion and suddenly I was almost floating in the air. I would never wish that sir. It was humiliating." Ginny hung her head like she was about to cry. In reality, she was trying not to laugh. She was amused to find that she sounded suspiciously like Fred and George appealing to their mother.

Dumbledore, to her relief, smiled patiently at Snape. "See, Severus? I think these girls have gone through enough today. Madam Pomfrey has mended them and they seem to be feeling better. Now, why don't you go enjoy some treacle tart? I'm sure dessert will be served shortly."

Snape looked as if he had smelled something sour. With a wrinkled nose, he swept from the room, slamming the door behind him. Ginny saw Luna duck her head to keep from laughing. Dumbledore surveyed the girls, his eyes twinkling

"You girls will want to get some food as well. I'm sure you're starving."

The tension of the room eased, and both girls nodded. Taking his words as a dismissal, Ginny rose from her seat, turning towards the door. Luna was a few steps behind her when Dumbledore spoke again.

"Oh, and ladies?"

Both girls stopped. Ginny's hand was on the door handle, and her heart rate picked up. Luna shot her a look, and she shook her head minutely. Dumbledore, who had not missed the exchange, smiled.

"Next time be sure to fall sick somewhere other than Professor Snape's class. I think it would be hard to pass off your brother's sweets again as a potion gone wrong under his watchful eye."

Ginny felt her mouth pop open. Luna wore a similar expression. Then, in unison, they both grinned. Ginny opened the door. "We promise, professor."

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Ut oh! Causing trouble in Snape's class AND Luna with a Slytherin? As you can see I'm changing and moving the story/dialogue a bit from the original as we come down to the final matches._

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 -<strong>

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><p>Ginny sat down at the Gryffindor table for dinner and grabbed a piece of pie.<p>

"How come you were so late Ginny? Everything o.k.?" Hermione peered across from her.

"Oh nothing. Snape kept Luna and I after class about our potions we were working on." Ginny shrugged.

Hermione frowned at her, but didn't ask anything more. She wasn't exactly lying, but she wasn't telling the whole truth. If she explained all that really happened Hermione would want to know about Luna and reading her matches mind. Ginny didn't think it was her place to say anything and other than telling her that Luna _could_ read her matches mind she still didn't know who it was. She thought it was best to leave it alone until they knew for sure.

"So did I miss anything?" Ginny asked.

"No, just more Quidditch talk." Hermione rolled her eyes as she gestured a little down the table where Harry, Ron, Fred, and George were all in a spirited debate.

"I was going to head up soon unless I got some company." Her eyes moved toward the head table where Charlie was sitting. Ginny caught the look and glanced as well.

"How is it going between you and Charlie?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh, it's fine. He's really smart and funny, but because he's teaching classes we don't get a lot of time to spend together. Plus he sits up with the teachers during meals. I understand of course. I just thought I'd have more time to get to know him."

"Oh I'm sure you will. We have those assessments soon after we're all matched remember? They said something about new schedules and making time for couples to get to know each other. I'm sure they want these matches to go smoothly just as much as we do."

Hermione sighed. "Yea I guess you're right. At least he and I aren't fighting like Seamus and Millicent."

Before Ginny could respond she saw Katie Bell walk into the Great Hall and move swiftly toward them. Katie ran up to them looking excited.

"Come quick! Madam Pomfrey's just said Cormac is stirring! Angelina is waiting with Lavender. She wants the whole team there."

"You better go Ginny. I'm going to head up to the dormitory. Give Lav and Cormac my best all right? I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have a heart attack if too many of us go." Hermione said.

Ginny nodded and quickly stood as Katie went further down the table to grab the boys.

Ginny ran through the corridor back up to the hospital wing she had just vacated only an hour before and burst through the double doors in record time.

"Oh thank goodness!" Angelina sighed in relief and walked up to her. "I need your help. I don't speak Lavender and we need someone who does. She's babbling and crying, but we're not sure why."

Ginny followed her quidditch captain's gaze to where Lavender was pacing around and around the room. She was muttering under her breath, her face was the white color of parchment and she was wringing her hands. Her hair was a mess, either from neglect or abuse, and her robe was crinkled.

"Lavender?" Ginny approached cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"Ginny!"

The other girl let out a cry, launching herself at Ginny. The redhead barely had time to catch her. Lavender clung tightly to her neck, and she was shaking like a frightened animal. Ginny led her to a nearby armchair, where she collapsed, burying her face in her hands.

"I have no idea what to do," she moaned. "Cormac's going to wake up any moment now and according to Madam Pomfrey: it's a disaster!"

"Er." Ginny frowned. "I thought we wanted him to wake up?"

"Oh, we do!" Lavender's eyes were filled with tears, and she took deep, shuddering breaths.

"But he almost certainly won't remember a thing, Ginny. He won't know that we were matched, or that I camped out here all week, or that I read to him and talked to him… I'll be a stranger to him."

"I'm sure that's not true," Ginny contradicted her. "Didn't you say that you had potions with him last year?"

"Potions." Lavender's voice was bitter. "He'll remember me from potions. That's just bloody brilliant. Merlin, Ginny, I look like a wreck and he's going to remember me covered in frog guts!"

Ginny winced. Lavender's hair did have a tendency to frizz when near a cauldron, and she didn't doubt that her friend had spilled numerous ingredients on herself last year. Currently, she doubted that Lavender had slept or showered since the accident. Ginny decided to tactfully avoid the subject.

"It's going to be fine, Lav," she reassured her, putting a bracing hand on her shoulder. Ginny desperately wished that Parvati were here, and she tried to wrack her brains as to what the other girl would say if she were. "You know what? I bet that he fancies you anyways."

Apparently, she had said the right thing, because Lavender's eyes lit up with hope. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course." Ginny watched the rest of the team file in. Katie and Angelina moved to greet them before bringing them to Cormacs bedside.

"How do you know?" Lavender asked.

"Well…" Desperately, she racked her brains for any shred of evidence that Cormac fancied Lavender. Suddenly, it came to her.

"Remember the time last year he climbed all the way up that tree just to get your wand? He went out of his way to rescue it for you."

Ginny decided not to mention the fact that Cormac had probably made that part up, and simply used a summoning spell. Lavender nodded, smiling through the tears. "I do! He told me afterwards that he-"

She broke off as Cormac made a muffled sound on the bed next to them. Immediately, all conversation stopped. Eight heads snapped towards the sleeping boy. Lavender let out something like a strangled gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. Ginny watched with bated breath as Cormac groaned. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" he asked groggily. He winced, gingerly touching his head. "Did I fall? I remember there was this pain and then I saw… is Lavender okay?"

At her name, Lavender made a small noise somewhere in between a sob and a terrified squeak.

Harry leaned forward, breaking from the pack so that Cormac could see him. "You fell from your broom. How much do you remember?"

"I remember falling; I remember that the ground wasn't particularly pleasant." Cormac winced, adjusting the bandages on his head. "Merlin, that stings."

"And then?" Harry prompted.

"And then…" Cormac trailed off, looking embarrassed at all the attention. "And then I remember that-" He cut off, suddenly looking alarmed. "I remember it all. Where's Lavender? Is she here? I saw her fall over in the stands."

This time, a hint of panic had entered his voice. Hiding a smile, Ginny stepped back, giving Lavender a little push. Her friend had gone an uncharacteristic shade of pink. Cormac grinned at her. Slowly, he held up a hand, revealing the amber slash knit into the flesh of his palm.

Lavender raised her hand as well.

"We match," she said softly.

Cormac smiled cheekily. "Looks better on you, though."

The team watched for a moment as the two looked at one another, both at a loss for words. Angelina gave a small, musical cough. Pointedly,

she started walking toward the door making a motion with her eyes that the rest of them should follow.

"Well, it looks like you're in good hands, McLaggan," she said. "Practice is tomorrow afternoon, injured or not. In the mean time, I'll just be going…"

With a fond tug on Fred's arm and a quick goodbye peck on his cheek, she and Katie gathered their stuff and left. Fred and George followed them shortly. Harry waited a few minutes before excusing himself as well. Ginny soon found herself quite alone with only Cormac and Lavender.

"Well, then." Ginny grinned at Lavender. "I suppose I'll just see you in the common room later?"

Lavender nodded. She turned from Cormac for only a moment, long enough to smile at Ginny. It was radiant, and for a moment, Ginny could have sworn that the flower wallpaper bloomed.

"Yeah." And then, just loud enough for only Ginny to hear, "Thank-you."

As Ginny shut the doors behind her, she caught the faintest glimpse of two heads bent together, and she smiled.

* * *

><p>"Wake up!"<p>

The words were an anxious hiss in her ear. There was yet another sharp tug on her bed sheets, and Ginny moaned. She rolled over, trying to gather the soft covers to her chest. Her hands were still weak with sleep, but she pinned them beneath her stomach. The voice swore.

"Bloody hell, Gin, I said to wake up!"

There was a pause, and then a spray of water smacked her in the face. Ginny let out a cry and then sat bolt upright in the dark. Cursing, she fumbled for her wand, casting a Lumos spell. A figure with wild, dirty blonde hair was leaning over her. The light caught the silver orbs of her eyes.

"Luna?" Ginny asked. "Is that you?"

Luna's face was ashen. "It's me."

"What time is it?" Ginny she asked sleepily. "And how did you get in here?"

Luna sniffed. It was hard to see in the dark, but Ginny thought that she sounded vaguely insulted. "I'm a Ravenclaw; I could break into Gringotts if I wanted to. As for the time, it's about quarter past three."

She whispered a Lumos spell, and then they were both illuminated in stark white light. Ginny squinted into the painful beam. With a groan, she

buried her face in the pillow. When she spoke, her voice was muffled.

"Someone had better be dying."

"No." Luna didn't sound remotely apologetic. "But this is important."

Ginny felt her pillow wrestled out of her grasp. Luna examined it before pitching it across the room. It collided with the wardrobe, knocking over a pile of books. The pages made a _thumping _noise as they struck the floor. Ginny rolled over onto her back, shooting Luna an irritated look.

"Couldn't this wait until morning?"

Luna shook her head. "I-"

The tip of Hermione's wand illuminated her in a white glow, and her hair stuck up from sleep. She didn't look particularly pleased to see them. Over on the next bed, Lavender was also sitting up, blinking sleepy eyes. Parvati groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on? What was that noise?" Hermione asked.

"Really, Gin," Parvati yawned. "Can't you keep it down? We're trying to sleep here."

"Yea I need to rest. Now that Cormac's awake I need to get my beauty sleep. I can't let him see me looking a mess like was earlier" Lavender complained. She had finally left the hospital wing after Cormac had been released later that evening.

Ginny shot an accusatory look at Luna. "I was actually hoping to still be sleeping, too."

"It was important!" Luna insisted, bringing her legs up to her chest. "It's about what happened yesterday."

She gave Ginny a meaningful look. This was perhaps not the best idea, as the interest of the others piqued immediately; Parvati looked much more awake. She wrapped her robes around her shoulder and, after a moment of grappling for her wand, performed her own Lumos spell.

"Is this about the disruption you caused in Snapes class?" she demanded. "I heard that you two tried to blow each other up with a potion or something."

"Whaaaaat?!" said Hermione. "Is that why you were late to dinner?"

"It's not about what happened in potions," Ginny interrupted. And then, after a moment's hesitation, "I mean, it sort of is. Yes, it is. Well, no. A little."

Luna let out a despairing sigh. "I suppose I'll have to explain now, won't I?"

Ginny nodded, shrugging one shoulder helplessly. Hermione looked confused, and Parvati, curious. Lavender had settled back against her pillows, suddenly fully awake, placing her hands on her lap like a child about to be read a story. Luna immediately launched into a recount of the past events. When she had finished, Hermione frowned.

"But you must have known who it was."

"No." Luna bit her lip. "Not then, anyways."

"Not-" Ginny sat bolt upright, almost jumping out of the bed. "You know who it is, now, then?"

"Yes."

"And?" Lavender prompted, looking particularly excited. When Luna hesitated, the other girl pouted, clapping her hands together. "Oh, please, tell us! It was such a good story; I want to know how it ends."

"You don't have to tell us, Lu," Ginny cut in quickly. She hoped that her friend was smart enough to realize that anything she said to Lavender was likely to circulate around the school by lunch tomorrow. "If you don't want to, don't say anything."

"People will find out anyways. I might as well tell you now," Luna decided, and there was something a little sad and something like relief in her voice. She blew out a breath, and her hands began to nervously plait her hair. "It's Blaise; Blaise Zabini."

Her words were met with a shocked silence. For a moment, Ginny wondered if the other girls might have fallen asleep with their eyes open. She couldn't remember how to breathe. Luna and _Blaise_? A Slytherin was bad enough, but Blaise and Malfoy were tied at the hip. Ginny wasn't looking forward to awkward Christmas dinners at Luna's featuring the Ferret and his match.

Hermione was the first to recover. "Well... that's alright, then. Blaise isn't so bad; he lent me a quill once in class."

Ginny could tell by her voice that a professor had probably told him to do it. Hermione shot a helpless look at the others, all of whom were speechless. Ginny's head was going at about a hundred miles an hour.

"Look," Parvati said calmly. "Luna's obviously really happy with him; she's just nervous about how everyone else is going to react. But you know what? It shouldn't matter who we were before this war. It matters who we are now."

Hermione looked relieved that someone else had said the words, and she nodded fervently. "I agree. Let's give Za- Blaise a chance."

Luna looked hopefully at Ginny. "What do you think, Gin?"

Ginny felt her mouth pop open. Her heart was tearing itself in two; Zabini was undoubtedly a prat. She had played him enough times in quidditch to know that she would never like to be within ten feet of him unless it was because she was strangling him. But Ginny could also remember, with horrible clarity, the look on Luna's face in the Hospital Wing as she spoke about him: Luna believed in Blaise Zabini.

"Ginny?" Luna bit her lip. "Are you alright with it?"

Knowing full well what she had to do, Ginny sighed. "Go for it."

Luna's face lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Ginny confirmed, grinning at Luna's delighted expression. "So long as you're happy, then I'm happy. Besides, you'd look brilliant in a Slytherin quidditch jersey; green has always been your color."

"Liar," Luna said, reaching forward to hug her. "It's always been yours, but thank-you, anyways."

As she leaned back again, Ginny put on what she hoped to be a convincing smile. She didn't know what she thought about Luna and Zabini yet. Luna seemed happy; would she feel the same when she found her match?

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Cormac's awake and Luna's matched! As you can see I've moved some things around from the original as I'm making room for some extra dialogue that's coming. It's getting down to the wire! Who will be matched next?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 10 -<strong>

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><p>"Luna? With Zabini?" Katie Bell's fork hovered halfway to her mouth, which was hanging open in astonishment. "I thought that nothing was odder than Charlie and Hermione but…"<p>

The girl stopped and bit into her toast. Ginny followed her example, helping herself to cereal. It wasn't as good as waffles, but it was food nonetheless. The news of the matching had spread even faster than Ginny had anticipated, and the Great Hall was buzzing with the news at breakfast. The redhead mulled over Katie's words as she helped herself to milk.

"It is a little bizarre, isn't it?"

"Not as bizarre as her breaking into our dorm room at three in the morning," Lavender objected, plucking the milk jug neatly from Ginny's hand before she had a chance to pour it. "Merlin, we need better security."

Parvati's eyes flicked to the Ravenclaw table, where Luna sat, studiously ignoring the whispering around her. "Is it odd for them, do you think?"

Ginny shrugged. "No odder than for Neville and Pansy, I think, although I suppose maybe it would be easier with the mind-reading. At least they know exactly what the other is thinking and can talk to each other without people knowing what they're saying."

Katie choked on her pumpkin juice. "Mind reading?"

"Deep breaths, Katie," she instructed, thumping her teammate on the back. The other girl coughed even harder, spraying pumpkin juice everywhere, and Ginny laughed. "I'm sorry that George isn't here to witness how attractive this is."

Katie glared at her, spluttering as she tried to clear her throat. Angelina slid in across from them. Their captain clutched what appeared to be a catalogue in her hand, adorned with fancy script that sparkled and shimmered. Angelina raised her eyebrows when she caught sight of Katie.

"I'd be more alarmed if this wasn't so normal," she said, amused.

Katie was turning an odd tomato color. "Go – to hell."

"Someone's in a bad temper." Angelina made a _tsking _sound, waggling a finger. She rounded on Ginny next.

"I was wondering where Katie had got to; you stole my bridal-shopping partner!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Isn't that supposed to be your fiancé?"

As if to punctuate her words, Fred entered the hall, flanked by Lee Jordan and George. They were all sporting what looked like joke hats that squawked and occasionally dislodged large quantities of feathers. Angelina sighed, scrunching up her nose.

"You know Fred," she said fondly. "All he would want is for my wedding gown to turn into a large, stuffed parrot halfway through the ceremony. Anyways, I'd much rather ask Katie for help."

"Or a future sister-in-law?" Ginny asked pointedly.

"Touche," Angelina said wryly.

She pushed the catalogue she was holding across the table. Ginny scanned it briefly; the cover featured a witch and a wizard holding hands at an altar, surrounded by fields of daisies. The girl was smiling coyly at the camera, and occasionally, the boy winked. Fancy cursive scrawl beneath them read _Be Beautiful! Be Marvelous! Be… Magical._

"You can't be serious," Ginny said.

Angelina snatched the pamphlet back before Ginny even had the chance to open it. She leafed through it stopping at various gowns she had obviously marked for them to see. "I'm thinking white, the traditional kind, but with gold accents."

Katie, who had finally recovered from her fit, nodded approvingly. "That will compliment your skin tone really well."

"We'll blow it all out of proportion." Angelina punctuated her words with grand hand gestures.

"Nothing too fancy, of course, but I was hoping for an enchanted dance floor. And maybe a gold-and-orange theme, although I have no idea how I would ever get Fred to agree…"

Angelina trailed off thoughtfully, contemplating an image that only she appeared to be able to see. Katie shot Ginny a despairing look. The girls were interrupted by the arrival of George. He kissed Katie on top of the head, making her blush, before dropping into the seat next to her.

"What won't Fred agree to?" he asked.

"Angelina's discussing wedding plans," Katie confessed, rolling her eyes at the traitorous look that Angelina gave her. "Oh, come on, Ange, the best man has a right to know. Besides, if you choose orange, it will clash horribly with his hair, and then neither of us can go."

George, who looked both pleased and amused that Katie had decided that the two were going together, helped himself to kippers with his left hand. Ginny noticed that his other was entwined with Katie's beneath the table.

"I suppose Fred couldn't come either, then," Angelina sighed, sounding quite disappointed. "Is it possible to have a wedding without the groom? I really do love the color orange."

"We can always get married instead," Katie suggested, grinning. "I hear that I look fabulous in orange."

"You look fabulous in anything," George told her.

Katie blushed, and he kissed the tip of her nose, making her laugh. Angelina looked slightly disgusted. Ginny felt similarly nauseous, and she mimed vomiting into her breakfast cereal. She was relieved when the two finished. George bit thoughtfully into Katie's toast.

"Anyways, Fred's a touchy little bugger," he said, mouth full. "It might be best to avoid bringing up the subject altogether."

Just as George had finished speaking, Fred slid on to the bench, taking his usual spot next to Angelina. With chaser reflexes, Angelina snatched the pamphlet off the table, and it disappeared into her bag. Unfortunately, Fred hadn't missed George's comment.

"What's better to avoid?" he asked.

George, who had never been very good at lying, inclined his head slightly towards Angelina. The dark-haired girl scowled. "George!"

But the damage was done; the top of the catalogue was peeking from Angelina's book bag, and Fred caught sight of it. He smiled slyly, and his hand darted out to grab it. Luckily, Angelina was quicker, and she pinned his hand to the table with a sweet smile.

"Sorry, darling."

"What is it?" Fred asked.

"I'll never tell," Angelina promised. Then, after a moment's consideration, "Well, I will, but only in about nine months."

Fred, who had taken a large forkful of kippers, made a choking sound. He spit out the food, as if it had burned him. His blue eyes were wide as he sputtered, "You're…. You're not _pregnant_, are you?"

Angelina looked horrified. "Of course not."

"Oh," Fred said sheepishly. "Sorry. You just said 9 months and I just thought-"

"I would have told you, you prat!" Angelina complained, thwacking him on the shoulder with a nearby spoon. "I was talking about our wedding."

"Whoa… _Hold on_, wait a second." George was grinning from ear-to-ear, as if he was a cat that had just stolen the cream. His eyes glittered mischievously with the realization. "You mean to tell me that there could even be the _possibility _of Freddy junior on the way?"

"George!" Katie reprimanded, although she was smiling, too.

Angelina looked mortified. "Well, we- I mean to say that we-"

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you little bugger!" George looked amused.

But Fred's attention had already returned to George. His hands were toying idly with a spoon, but his expression was vindictive. "Ask me that again, dear brother of mine, and I swear that I'll tell Katie about the chocolate pudding incident."

George looked horrified and obviously considered this a low blow. "You wouldn't date! We were eleven for Merlin's sake!"

"Exactly." Fred shook his head mournfully. "How young your innocence was ruined. Wouldn't it be a shame for Katie to find out exactly how -"

"Okay!" George spluttered. "Okay. Geez. You've got me."

Somewhat reluctantly, he stuck out his hand towards his twin. Looking relieved, Fred seized it, shaking it with a grin. Angelina was watching the exchange warily, and Katie, with amusement. And Ginny knew that, at least for now, the subject was forgotten.

* * *

><p>"One more time everyone." Angelina said as flew quickly past her team smiling.<p>

Everyone was in great spirits during the afternoon practice. The whole team was back in action since Cormac's accident and their moves were nothing short of spectacular. They moved from play to play with such ease and Angelina didn't yell once all practice.

"Great job everyone! We're gonna smash the Slytherins tomorrow!" Angelina called out enthusiastically.

After practice the team headed back to the common room to change before dinner. When Ginny got back to her dormitory she heard the girls talking.

"What did you say? Padma's been matched with someone?" Hermione asked Parvati.

"Yea, looks like. A band appeared around her wrist today. A turquoise band. And she can't get it off."

"Wow" Lavender whistled. "I wonder who it will be. Do you think the color means anything. I mean, maybe because it's a shade of blue it will be another Ravenclaw?"

"Well, in some cultures the color turquoise symbolizes luck, protection, healing, peace, and love. When you wear that color ribbon on your wrist it is supposed to help open communication between you and your partner," Hermione recited sounding like her usual textbook self while sitting on her bed and picking at a thread.

"Well let's get to dinner. Maybe we'll find out then." Lavender bounded up from her spot and toward the door.

They continued talking as they made their way down the stairs and back through the common room toward the Great Hall where they caught up with Harry and Ron.

"I can't believe almost everyone's matched now. Soon we'll have assessments and then the ball. I can't wait!" Parvati and Lavender were giggling excitedly.

Ginny however frowned and looked away. She hadn't been matched yet. When would it happen? There wasn't much time left. She was feeling more anxious and nervous every minute. As they walked through the corridors she saw Harry scratch at his neck when she noticed something near his wrist.

"What was that?" Ginny demanded.

"What was what? I just had an itch." Harry looked perplexed.

"No. I mean what was that color? What did I see under your cloak?"

"Nothing… It must have been the light or something." She saw him grab his cloak to make sure his hands were covered.

Ginny however was too quick. Her skills as a Chaser and her brief stint as a Seeker gave her a great eye and fast reflexes. She went behind Harry and grabbed his arm before shoving his sleeve up. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oi! What are you doing? What was that for?!" Harry jumped and tried to move away from her, but it was too late. Everyone had seen the turquoise band around Harry's wrist. Parvati looked shocked before it dawned on her and she squealed loudly causing several in the hall to look over at her.

"Oh my God! OH MY GOD! You've got a turquoise band?! You?! I can't believe it!" Parvati shouted.

"Woah, keep it down would you. It's nothing." Harry tried to shush her.

"You've been matched! With my sister! You're matched with Padma! She's going to be thrilled!"

Harry stood there motionless like a statue. People peered at him before promptly whispering amongst each other. Within mere seconds the whole school knew that Harry Potter had just been matched.

Any hope of Harry trying to keep it quiet was completely lost. They finally made their way into the hall and the room was positively buzzing. Harry tried to block out the noise. Parvati had bounded into the hall ahead of them and grabbed Padma from the Ravenclaw table and dragged her over to the group showing them the band around her wrist. Padma looked embarrassed, but pleased.

"Err, um. Hi." Padma said looking at Harry.

"Err, Hi. Uhm, maybe… maybe we should talk?" Harry looked helplessly around at the others for help.

"Why don't you use the Charms classroom Harry? That should be empty with most everyone here at dinner." Hermione suggested.

Harry looked at her gratefully. "Thanks. Good idea. Do you mind missing dinner?" Harry turned and asked Padma.

"No, I"m not really that hungry. Let's go" Padma replied tentatively.

* * *

><p>Ginny hastily kicked the door of the toilet shut in the dorm room. The elated squeals of Padma Patil dimmed in volume, allowing her a blissful reprieve. She sighed as, a moment later, a particularly high-pitched giggle breached the barrier she had created. No doubt, Padma had launched into yet another tale of her match.<p>

Ginny picked up her hairbrush, running it through her coppery strands. It seemed as if all of

Hogwarts had been matched by now: Padma was in love with Harry after a total of one hour and Parvati and Michael held hands every chance they got. Even Hermione and Charlie no longer received strange looks when the pair took wands around the lake.

Ginny exhaled, pulling the brush faster through her hair with every stroke. Neville and Pansy no longer despised one another, and Katie and George were bound to be engaged any day now. Hell, Fred and Angelina were going to be married! Even Lavender had gotten her happy ending.

Ginny set down the brush, frowning at it. She knew that she ought to be happy for everyone, but it felt as if she was attending a party in jeans that was full of exciting ball gowns and dresses. She hadn't had the chance to talk to Luna about Zabini yet – _Blaise_, she mentally berated herself – but from what she had observed, the two were already quite happy.

Ginny bit her lip, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. Tomorrow was the last day of matches, and the stock in boys was growing woefully short. Almost everyone was paired and discussing their plans for the upcoming ball, which was a topic that Ginny could contribute little to.

She leaned against the cool, bathroom mirror. Her aching forehead felt a little better, and Ginny sighed. Her breath fogged up the glass surface. A gentle knock startled her out of her cocoon, and then a voice called out.

"Ginny?" Parvati sounded as if she was smiling. "Padma's gone. You don't have to hide in the toilet anymore."

"I'm not hiding!" Frantically, Ginny grabbed the brush off the counter. She pushed open the door, waving the brush in Parvati's face. "I was brushing my hair, if you must know."

Parvati looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Your hair is in a bun."

"Oh." She touched her hair sheepishly. "Well, I was before."

Parvati made a knowing sound. Ginny coloured and, scowling, crossed her arms over her chest. Laughing, Parvati ushered her out of the toilet. "Sorry, Gin, your time is up: Padma told me that I need to fix my eyebrow charm. Apparently, it's crooked."

As if to demonstrate her point, she raised one eyebrow sharply. Ginny shook her head exasperatedly, pushing past her friend. "You're lucky that I love you."

Parvati was already shutting the door. "I know!"

"And don't stay up too late!" she called, already crawling into her bed. "You're grouchy when you do. In bed in the next thirty minutes; I mean it, Parvati."

"Oh, all right," the other girl sighed. "But if my eyebrows look terrible tomorrow, I'll never forgive you."

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_As you can see I've changed around several things from the original adding more dialogue and information. The chosen one - Harry Potter has been matched! Today's the last day! Who will Ginny be matched with? Read below to find out what happens next!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 -<strong>

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><p>Ginny woke with a start. She blinked and looking around wondering what time it was. She saw out the window that it was barely light. Suddenly she sat up, a horrible feeling settling in her stomach that sent shivers up her spine. She pulled the covers close around her. Her life would be decided today. Her fate lied in the hands of a cup that would decide who she would have to spend the rest of her life with. By the end of the day, she would be matched whether she wanted it or not.<p>

She groaned and threw her pillow over her head trying to get back to sleep. She did not want to think about it. She tried instead to focus on today's match against Slytherin. If they won they would move into first place for the Cup. After about half an hour she gave up trying to sleep and instead got dressed quietly and headed downstairs through the Portrait Hall and down to the Lake for a walk. Luna found her shortly before breakfast.

"Are you ready?" Luna asked.

The autumn sun cast a glitter of light on the lake, and the trees threw patterns across Luna's face. The breeze was warm, and Ginny could hear the call of birds in the distance.

"I can't do this," she confessed, leaning back so that she was lying more comfortably on the bank of the lake. The bright sunlight pierced her eyes, and she threw a hand over her head. "I have a bad feeling about today."

"Really?" Luna sounded surprised. "I don't think I've ever seen you nervous before a quidditch match before."

"I know," she sighed. Orange and yellow light painted the back of her eyelids. "And it sounds mad, but I really feel like something's going to go wrong."

"You might feel better if you ate breakfast."

Luna's voice was pointed, but Ginny shook her head, refusing to bite.

"It's not from hunger. It's just a feeling that I have, somewhere near my gut."

"There's not much that you can do about it anyways; Angelina might kill you if you don't show up."

"I have high hopes that Fred might be able to stop her." Ginny rested her free hand on her stomach. The steady rise and fall of her own breath helped to calm her, but the butterflies in her stomach continued to swoop, hollowing her. "Besides, she needs me in order to play: I'm too valuable to kill."

The girls sat in silence for a moment. Ginny could already hear the crowd filtering into the pitch. Their excited chatter carried across the lawn, amplified by the lake between them. They must have left breakfast early to steal the good seats. Ginny imagined that they carried stacks of toast and pastries with them.

"You're being matched today, you know," Luna said after a moment.

"Believe me, I know." Ginny sat up, stretching her legs in front of her. "I haven't forgotten about it all morning."

"It's not so bad." Luna played with a nearby flower, growing out of the ground. It was a bright red, the same color as Ginny's hair. "The anticipation is what kills you."

"Speaking of matches," Ginny said, suddenly feeling quite guilty for not asking beforehand, "how are things with... Blaise?"

"Wonderful." Luna looked quite pleased that Ginny had addressed him by his first name. She smiled fondly at the flower. "We have a bet on the match today: he's got a galleon on a win for Slytherin, and I've matched him with a win for Gryffindor."

"He's choosing _Malfoy's _side?" Ginny demanded incredulously. "Merlin, I thought that Slytherin's were supposed to be cunning. Surely he knows that Harry will catch the snitch first?"

Luna tilted her head back, allowing the sun to warm her face. Ginny swore that she was smirking. "My, what confidence you have!"

"Because I'm right."

"Maybe you are," Luna conceded. "I suppose, in the end, we side with our friends no matter what. I'm siding with you; Blaise is siding with Draco."

"_Draco_?" Ginny sat bolt upright, her eyes flying wide. "You're on a first name basis now?"

"Yes, I am," Luna said calmly.

Ginny made a choking noise. "_Why_?"

"You try talking to Blaise for a while and not calling Draco by his first name!" she challenged, and Ginny noticed that she was flushing faintly. "I swear to Merlin, the two of them are one person."

Ginny leaned backwards once more. When she lay down, her stomach hurt less with nerves. It felt as if serpents had coiled themselves beneath her skin, wrapping tighter and tighter around

her organs. Her gut was being forced up into her chest. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and her heart began to pound uncomfortably in her chest.

"Luna," she said, "did your stomach hurt before you knew that it was Blaise?"

Luna's eyes turned sympathetic. "No. Sorry, Gin."

"S'okay." Ginny smiled bravely. She had been expecting it, but it still stung; it seemed like the closer she got to discovering who she was matched with, the farther she was from actually figuring it out. "It was a long shot."

"Well, if it's not that," Luna said, "it must be the hunger pains." She stood, brushing off her trousers, before offering a hand to Ginny. "Come on, quidditch superstar. It's time for breakfast."

They made their way to breakfast. Ginny sat down next to the team and Hermione. As she was grabbing toast she noticed all the owls flying around delivering mail.

"Wow. The owls are busy today. What's going on?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, that would be Rita Skeeter. Somehow she got wind of Harry's match and she's obviously had a field day. I've heard more than a dozen articles have been printed breaking the news." Hermione said disdainfully.

Ginny whistled as she peered down at Harry. She knew he was always getting unwanted attention and articles written about him. She could only imagine what he was thinking right now. He looked like he was trying to ignore the whispering going on around him and was pointedly putting food on his fork and his fork to his mouth.

After about 10 minutes, Angelina stood up and addressed the team.

* * *

><p>"All right everyone. Let's get to the changing rooms and get ready. I want to see the conditions of the pitch so we can be prepared."<p>

Ginny swallowed nervously, scowling through the storm. She mentally urged her broom to go faster; her hands felt frozen on the wood. It didn't matter at this point that they were playing the Slytherins as the weather had become the real opposition. About 5 minutes after the quaffle had been released a nasty storm had blown through. The rain was pouring down in icy sheets and had already soaked through her jersey. Her red hair was plastered to her face. Ginny groaned trying desperately to encourage her broom to move. She flew directly beneath who she assumed to be Katie; in truth, she was merely following blurs of color and hoping that she had enough sense to tell red and green apart.

A crack of lightning split the sky, making her jump. She slipped down on her boom a little, but maintained a tight grip. An object was dropped towards her. Startled Ginny jerked backwards and realized it had been the quaffle. She urged her broom to follow it down and quickly grab it. The ball was slick with rain and after a moment of fumbling with it she managed to latch on. She turned in the direction of the Slytherin Goal posts.

Ginny could make out the faint calls of spectators below, the majority of whom were urging her on vigorously mixed with a few boos. She dodged an advancing green blur deftly, sweeping unexpectedly to the side. The quaffle left her hands, sailing beautifully into the left hoops, and she let out a whoop of excitement if only because no one could actually hear her. Gryffindor was up by 20 points now thanks in part to a particularly good throw by who she thought was Angelina. They needed to catch the snitch sooner rather than later and get out of this weather. Ginny hoped that Harry knew what he was doing or else they would all freeze to their brooms soon. She swivelled her broom and tried to look at what was happening in the game squinting to see through the rain.

Suddenly two blurs appeared out of nowhere, streaking toward her at lightning speed, a tornado of green and red. They seemed to be focused on one thing only; the glint of gold to the left of her head. Ginny screamed, trying to roll out of the path of the Seekers, but both were intent on their goal and did not see her. The red blur seemed to realize that she was there at the last second and sharply turned. The green blur realized it a moment later, but it was too late.

"No!" Draco looked up and gasped as he saw her. A second later he hit Ginny head on. Ginny shrieked as he collided with her his full weight sending her tumbling off her broom.

There was a hoarse yell.

And then she was falling down fast as the rain whirled around her like exploding stars and then suddenly, all was dark.

* * *

><p>Ginny awoke with a splitting headache. She moaned clutching at her head before realizing that it hurt to move her arms too. Gingerly she peeled open her eyes. Hermione sat beside her bed, her brown eyes wide and anxious. Lavender, Parvati, Luna, as well as the team were there as well each looking like they had each gone for a dip in the lake.<p>

"She's awake!" Hermione leaned forward, obscuring her vision. "How are you feeling Gin?"

"Lously." She grimaced. "I feel like I've been beaten by the Whomping Willow." Ginny tried to smile, but her lip was swollen and split. She groaned again while looking around.

"Madam Pomfrey's going to kill you for dragging all that mud in here."

"She left a while ago," Hermione informed her. "To tell your parents you're alive and will be o.k. They were quite worried."

Ginny frowned. "Why? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" When Ginny shook her head, Hermione paled. Her hair was frizzing from the rain and when she turned to look at Harry, it hid her face. "Do you want to explain to her what happened?"

Her voice was tight. Harry's face said that he'd much rather not and Ginny growled low in her throat. "Somebody better explain. What the heck happened?"

"Alright, alright." Harry sighed as he elbowed his way through the pack, all of who were being uncharacteristically quiet. Harry's face was drawn. "We were in the middle of the match - do you remember that part Gin?"

"Yeah." She waved impatiently at him. "Go on."

"Well you had just scored for the second time -"

"Hold on." Ginny sat up straighter, ignoring the stab of pain through her abdomen. "I only scored once."

"You scored twice." Harry recounted and judging by the worried looks on her teammates faces, he was right. "The snitch was so close to you by the goal and Malfoy and I were too focused…" He winced and took a breath before continuing. "We hit you. Well, I mean Malfoy did; I rolled out of the way at the last second."

When she spoke her voice was deadly calm. "Did he catch it?"

"Did he -" Harry frowned. "Ginny…"

"The snitch," Ginny said icily. "Did Malfoy catch the snitch?"

There was a beat of silence. Finally Harry nodded. Ginny mentally counted to ten. Rage was creeping up her veins, gnawing at her skin. She forgot the all the pain she was feeling as incoherent thoughts filled her mind. Most of them involved strangling Malfoy with his own victory banner.

"Ginny?" Luna took a hesitant step forward. "Say something."

She looked at Luna her blood positively boiling. "Are you kidding me right now?! I am going to find Malfoy and I'm going to kill him! Or bat bogey hex him! Or maybe both!"

"Ginny suddenly struggled to her feet, ignoring the pounding in her head and aches she felt everywhere. Immediately the entire team spring to life. Katie pinned down her feet, Harry and Cormac seized both her arms, and Angelina knelt in front of her.

"No!" she commanded. "Ginny, stop it." When Ginny tried to rip away from her makeshift restraints, Angelina blocked her. "Fred, back me up!"

"She's right, Gin. We like you in one piece. You're already been banged up enough." Fred made to grab her, but she wriggled away from them hurrying to where her clothes hung drying across the room. The hospital pajamas she wore were itchy and the skin at her neck felt open and sore.

"You're not going to stop me!" she declared. "I want Malfoy in more than one piece!"

Ginny snatched her clothes darting behind a curtain to change. George made a grab for her but she shut the curtains, tearing off her shirt. George must have realized she was changing and grumbled but remained on the other side pacing. His silhouette doubled, and Ginny realized that Fred had joined him.

"We can slip him a candy tomorrow. The bleeding blister or something. Ten if you'd like. Just don't go out there right now. You need to let Madam Pomfrey finish mending you." Fred was trying to bargain with her.

"No way." Ginny pulled on jeans hastily, fiddling with the buttons. Her hands were stiff and she cursed under her breath guiding the the round button through the loophole. "I'm going now."

She ignored the desperate calls of her teammates outside. She heard Hermione say something about getting Charlie. Katie murmured something in response and the fragment "_...closer to Ron…"_ drifted over the change room barrier.

"I don't care what you all think. I'm going. _Now." _Ginny yanked the curtains viciously. "And no one's going to stop me. Not Charlie, not any of you, and not even Ron."

Ginny threw her hospital robes onto a nearby bed storming towards the door. She heard footsteps behind her and then Luna was clinging to her arm, latching on tightly enough that Ginny was forced to look at her.

"Please, Ginny." Luna said desperately. "Malfoy feels awful. He didn't see you. Harry barely had time to move. Malfoy was closer to you. There was no way he could have ducked. He's beside himself with guilt!" Luna hesitated, taking a deep breath. "Please, Gin, I know you don't like him, but you know I wouldn't lie to you."

For a second Ginny was tempted to listen to her. Luna's eyes were wide and searching hers. There wasn't a shred of insincerity on her face. But even if she trusted Luna, that didn't mean she trusted Malfoy. He was a Slytherin: a master manipulator. He probably had all of Hogwarts convinced that she had leapt dramatically from her broom as he tried to save her. This was Draco sodding Malfoy for Merlin's sake. He probably told some story to Zabini so Luna would believe him. No, someone needed to deal with him and it was going to be her.

"I'm going." Ginny decided, wrenching her arm away from Luna. "And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll hex you too."

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><p>It was dinner by the time Ginny left the Hospital Wing, a full two hours since the match had ended. Most students would be eating in the Hall. Ginny had no doubt that they were all speculating and replaying the exciting events of the match. Well, if they had thought that was exciting, what a treat Ginny was going to give them.<p>

She walked quickly and pushed open the doors to the Great Hall, her eyes immediately scanning the Slytherin table for platinum blond hair. He wasn't difficult to find: he looked exhausted. His hair was rumpled and still damp from the rain, and there were red splotches around his eyes. Blaise seemed to be trying to say something to him, but Malfoy was pointedly ignoring him, playing with a bowl of soup.

Ginny made her way over to them as everyone who was in the hospital wing filed into the Great hall. She saw Luna shoot Blaise a look. She must have sent him a message through her mind because he looked up quickly and saw Ginny striding toward them. Blaise shook his head at Ginny almost imperceptibly. Ginny almost laughed. If Blaise was trying to stop her, he was fighting a losing battle. Ginny was going to put Malfoy in his place and she was going to enjoy doing it. She reached the table stopping in front of the pair. The entire Hall seemed to know something was happening and fell silent to listen. Ginny let her rage fuel her.

"What the hell Malfoy? Explain yourself." She barked.

The boy looked up slowly and stood. She thought she saw something in his eyes briefly before they went blank. He suddenly looked smug as he replied.

"What's that Weaselette? You were the one who got in the way. I was just trying to catch the snitch." He smirked.

The Hall erupted with sounds around them. That was it. Ginny broke. Something inside her gave way and bitter anger surged through her, hot and alive. The stupid prat was really trying to blame her for what happened?! Before she knew what was happening she had made her way around the table to where he stood fumbling through her pockets looking for her wand to curse him. She roared when she realized it wasn't there and instead shoved him as hard as she could with both hands. As her hands connected with his chest a blinding light exploded from them. Her hand felt hot and tingly. It took a moment for Ginny to realize that the ray was coming from her.

Ginny stepped away immediately suddening nervous. She did not have her wand. She had never seen this type of magic before. Another light flew between them even brighter than the last. Several students shielded their eyes. Ginny watched in amazement as it ricocheted off the wall, exploding off the golden plates on the table. Malfoy looked down at his own hands, startled.

"What the - "

Dozens of lights began to fill the Hall, colliding and bouncing with one another. They shone much brighter than any sun, causing many students to frantically cast visibility charms. Ginny leapt back further, examining her body: it was encased in an ethereal glow, and the lights felt pleasantly warm. And yet, a sense of horror filled her. She wasn't sure what everyone else was seeing, but Ginny knew very well what this meant.

She and Malfoy had just been matched.

They looked at each other for a moment with mirrored horror on their faces. Suddenly Ginny looked away and ran out of the Great Hall.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_How intense was that last chapter? All of the matches have finally happened! Now we start to discover more from our two main characters of the story. Let's see what happens next!_

_Sorry this took so long to upload this chapter! I was traveling for work the past few weeks. Updates should come more frequently now. Thanks for sticking with me!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 -<strong>

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><p>"Ginny? Let me in!"<p>

Parvati's voice floated through the gap above the bathroom door along with the noise of her pounding on the door. There was a pause; then, the noise began again more impatiently. Ginny gave a small hiccup, trying to breathe normally. Her eyes strayed to the mirror across from the sink: a petite girl with splotchy eyes and a red face stared back at her. Her lips were raw and pinched. Ginny winced.

"I can't," she moaned, wrenching her gaze away. "Just go away."

Parvati rapped on the door again. "Come on, Ginny. I don't care if you look a mess; I don't care if you don't want to talk. You need someone right now."

"This is a disaster." Ginny stared blankly at her hands. They were scratched from her fall off her broom, and the knuckles had split. The skin was still glowing softly. "I'm never leaving this room. I just want to forget all about today."

Parvati knocked more sharply. Ginny could tell that the other girl was losing her patience. When she spoke, her voice was a warning. "Ginny Weasley, I will knock this door down."

"I could join the Mer people," Ginny said, ignoring her friend's threat. She flexed her glowing fingers irritably. "Do you think they need a human torch down there?"

Parvati made a tired noise. "Gin, do you know who sent me?"

Ginny swallowed. "No."

"Luna sent me," Parvati said. She had stopped knocking, and the echoing silence fell between them like sheets of sharp glass. "She sent me because she figured that you wouldn't want to talk to her."

"Why not?" Ginny asked hoarsely.

"Because." The door creaked as Parvati leaned against it. "She's with a Slytherin, and not just any Slytherin: Blaise Zabini. Malfoy's best friend."

Ginny's throat squeezed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?" Parvati shot back. "You've been in there for hours now, Ginny. It's not that far of a stretch for Luna to think that you wouldn't want to see or talk to her."

Ginny grimaced. She pictured Luna sitting by the lake earlier that morning, her blonde curls shining in the sunlight. She had been wearing Gryffindor colors, to support Ginny. She always supported Ginny. A surge of guilt squirmed into the pit of her stomach and, before she could change her mind, Ginny leapt off the counter and pulled the door open a sliver.

"Do you promise not to be disappointed in me?" she asked softly.

Parvati crossed her arms. "Why would I be?"

"I don't know." Ginny shrugged. "Maybe I did something wrong. I mean we were matched for a reason right?"

"None of this is your fault, Gin," Parvati said, and this time, her voice had softened. "It's okay to cry, you know. You're not indestructible."

It was exactly what her mother would have said to her. To her horror, Ginny felt the back of her eyes burn. Quickly, she wrenched the door open. Parvati slipped into the room and closed the door, blinking at the bright light coming from Ginny. Parvati squinted to see past the glow, and her eyes widened.

"You should have let me in earlier," she scolded. "How are you?"

Ginny winced and shrugged. "I really don't know… It just wasn't what I expected."

Parvati sunk down on the counter. She patted the spot beside her, and Ginny sat down wordlessly, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. Parvati stroked her hair methodically. "Talk to me."

"I always thought that I _had_ to hate Malfoy." She took a deep, steadying breath, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Even before I went to Hogwarts, Ron used to come home and talk about him. He used to tell me all these awful stories: Malfoy making fun of people, Malfoy cursing people, Malfoy cheating to get ahead in class.. "

Parvati squeezed her shoulder. "And?"

"I believed him at first," Ginny admitted. "I mean he's my brother: I thought that he was always right. I looked up to him. But now… I just don't know. How much was truth and how much did Ron lie or exaggerate just because he didn't like him? I mean, do you think anyone ever asked Malfoy if he wanted to be a death eater, Parvati? Do you think that he had a choice? I don't know. I honestly don't know, and it terrifies me."

"I still don't understand why you're hiding in here. Why don't you go and confront him," Parvati urged. "Talk to him. You'll never know until-"

"Seriously?" Ginny looked at her friend incredulously. "The last time I was out there, I was about to curse or kill Malfoy. I'm worried I might have a second go at it."

"Well," Parvati sighed, "That would certainly put a damper on the wedding."

Ginny caught the attempt at humor, but didn't smile. She sat up and looked at Parvati. "As soon as I go out there, everyone will stare. I'm not exactly inconspicuous right now."

Parvati fidgeted with her hands. "Well, people were a little shocked by everything that happened, but I'm sure that most of will die down by morning."

They both knew that she was lying, but it was nice of her to try, and Ginny kicked her lightly with her foot. Then, she sighed, wrapping her arms around her head. "What will I tell my family and friends?"

"Your family and friends are more concerned about you than anything else," Parvati reminded her. "Ron was… understandably upset, but Hannah's talking to him. I think he'll be alright… eventually. Charlie offered to write to your mum for you. Fred and George were trying to think of ways to cheer you up. Hermione and Lavender are waiting outside hoping you would come out."

Ginny sighed and jumped off the counter.

"Fine. I'll come out of the bathroom, but I'm not talking to Malfoy" Ginny said determinedly.

Parvati stood as well and ruffled her hair. "There's the Ginny that I know. Strong as ever."

"I don't know about that." Ginny mused. She could feel her hair sticking up at odd angles, but she didn't try to smooth it. "Maybe not all the time."

Parvati smiled. "But most. Definitely, most."

* * *

><p>The next morning Ginny waited until the last moment to go to breakfast. It was the weekend and she hoped everyone would be outside enjoying the autumn weather. Luckily she she was no longer shining as brightly as the sun, but she still had an odd glow around her almost like an aura along with the scratches and bruises from the fall. A few students stared as she walked in. She glared at them daring them to say something. She searched the Ravenclaw table for Luna and saw her sitting toward the end. She walked over and sat down beside her. Luna looked up at her slightly surprised to see her.<p>

"Hey Gin." she said softly and patted her arm. "I'm glad to see you out."

"Yea, well. They don't have breakfast in the bathroom so I didn't have much choice."

Luna nodded understanding and looked around. Several people were whispering and glancing at her their way.

"Why don't we grab something and take a walk?" Luna suggested.

Ginny looked at her gratefully and gave a small smile. "Thanks."

They took some toast and marmalade down to the lake. Ginny collapsed at one of her favorite spots and brought her knees up to her chest. Luna sat beside her.

"So. How are you doing?" Luna asked. "Really?"

"I don't know. I'm still shocked I guess." Ginny rested her arms and head on her knees. "How did you feel when you first figured out it was Zabini? Were you immediately happy about it?

Luna looked thoughtful. "Well, I think it was easier for me to accept because I had started to get to know him _before_ I actually knew who it was. I mean having him in my mind and asking him questions gave me the chance to get to see the real him not just what I had heard of his reputation or who I thought he was. He's much different than I imagined. He's really funny. He acts like this big macho guy, but really he's very sweet."

"And what about Malfoy?"

"He slipped out of the Hall shortly after you did last night. Blaise told me he sat in the common room for hours staring at the fire. Pansy tried to yell at him and he threw a vase at her. This morning Blaise found him sitting at the desk in their room staring out the window. He was still there by the time he left."

Ginny sighed. "I suppose I had better learn to like him, haven't I? If we're going to be married some day."

"Just talk to him. Give him a chance. We have the couple assessments starting on Monday. Focus on passing that. "One day at a time." Luna advised. "Nobody's looking at wedding dresses yet. Well, maybe Angelina." Luna rolled her eyes.

Ginny laughed appreciatively. They spent the rest of the day talking about lighter subjects and hanging out.

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><p>The weekend passed quickly. Suddenly it was Monday and couple assessments had started. From what Ginny had heard, they were fairly simple and easy to pass. That was, provided you didn't want to strangle the person sitting next to you, which was unfortunately not true in her case. Ginny sat outside the greenhouse, her back resting against a tree. She sighed heavily when she saw him. She knew they couldn't avoid each other forever. He noticed her as he was walking by and scowled.<p>

"Stalking me Weasley? It was cute at first; now it's becoming annoying."

The voice was soft and cutting. Ginny rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth. She breathed in and out slowly. She would not under any circumstances, lose her temper.

"I came here to talk Malfoy," she said crisply.

The blond boy lounged against a nearby tree. His hair was almost translucent in the sunlight, and it painted him in shades of gold and brown. He had a smudge of dirt on his forehead from the greenhouse.

"Don't think we're mates now, Weaselette," Malfoy drawled. "You can't just call me up for a cuppa anytime it fits your fancy. I have a busy schedule: it involves avoiding you."

Ginny bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep from retorting. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke, her words careful and even. "I found you to tell you that we-"

"You _found_ me?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow, amused. "So you admit that you really are stalking me."

Ginny wanted to smack him. "No, Luna told me where Zabini was so that I could find you. But I only did it so that I can get away from you."

"Hang on." Malfoy looked on the verge of laughter. "Now your excuse is that you're stalking me to get away from me? That was a poor attempt, even for you, Weasley."

It was the straw that broke the camel's back: Ginny leapt to her feet, striding towards him. Anger was burning beneath her skin, and she could feel rage sizzling in her veins, like a kettle set on the stove to boil. She wanted to seize him. She wanted to shake his shoulders until he lost that smug little smile.

Instead, Ginny smiled sweetly. "Look here, Malfoy. If you want to keep both of your arms, you'll show up at couple's assessment with a bouquet of roses. You'll talk about how amazing I am, and how much you care about me."

"How narcissistic," he noted.

"This isn't funny!" Ginny smacked his arm, hard. "We're going to pass this assessment with flying colors, which means that you, Malfoy, are going to become a supportive boyfriend."

Malfoy smirked. "You work up quite the temper, don't you?"

Ginny scowled and crossed her arms. "Only when you're around."

"All right." Malfoy shrugged. His tie was loose around his neck, and his hand played with the end of it, almost thoughtlessly. "What does being a supportive boyfriend entail?"

Ginny smiled involuntarily. "You have to hold open doors for me. No magic allowed," she added, seeing the sly look on his face. "And you have to carry my things for me."

Malfoy looked disgruntled. "Can't you carry your own bloody things? It's not like your arms are broken. It probably has loads of germs."

"Nope," Ginny said, delighted at the look of horror on his face. "If you want to pass, you'll do it."

"Can't I just buy you things?" he sighed.

"Nice try." Ginny began to walk towards the castle. At the top of the hill, she twisted around, calling over her shoulder. "Tomorrow Malfoy. Third floor at two. If you're late or without flowers, I'll break your legs."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Yes, dear."

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Added the dialogue scene of Luna and Ginny. I really felt we needed to see them talk after Parvati talked about how Luna thought Ginny was mad at her. Notice the friction already brewing between Ginny and Draco! What will happen with the assessment?_

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 -<strong>

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><p>Ginny paced the corridor anxiously, listening to the voices drifting from the assessment room. They were muffled enough that she couldn't quite make out the words, but loud enough to taunt her. The suspense had become a heavy weight on her shoulders. Ginny closed her eyes briefly, slumping against a nearby wall.<p>

"Tired? Or are all you Gryffs really that out of shape?"

Across from her, Malfoy was wearing his trademark smirk. There were smudges beneath his eyes from lack of sleep, and his nails were bitten down to the quick, but he held himself as if he was a soldier going into battle.

Ginny opened her eyes and glared at him.

"I could run faster than you any day," she challenged.

Malfoy examined his nails. "I doubt that."

She noticed the flowers in his hand and scowled. They were lilac roses. She wondered if that was an accident or if he somehow knew those were her favorite. She shook herself mentally. It didn't matter. They were really just props, ready to be used in the greatest performance of Ginny's life.

"Oh, really?" She narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'll have you know that-"

"Next couple, please!"

The voice was feminine, issuing from the examination room. Ginny inhaled sharply. She glanced quickly at Malfoy, her face taught. "Just remember that we're madly in love and happy to be together."

Malfoy straightened his robes. His hands fumbled with his loose tie, and Ginny watched the painful struggle for a moment before sighing. Without a word, she cinched it for him. Then, before he could say anything, she scooped up the bouquet of roses.

"Don't mess this up," she warned him.

Malfoy gave her a scathing look that said he did not appreciate her help at all before pushing past her towards the door. To her surprise, he held it open. When she raised her eyebrows, he smirked.

"Ladies first."

Ginny gave him a sunny smile as she entered the assessment room. It was painted a cheerful yellow, with white-shuttered windows that stretched on for miles. One of the corners held a crackling fire. A soft rug lay in the middle, topped with cushy chairs and a small coffee table.

"Welcome to couple assessment!"

A petite, blonde woman sat on a nearby cushion, and she clapped her hands together. Her hair was tied back in a brisk manner, but she was smiling. Her eyes were bright with something like enthusiasm. She reminded Ginny of an incredibly cheerful pixie. The young woman must have noticed Ginny's discomfort, because she laughed.

"I'm Ms. Fullerton, the assessor," she explained. "But please call me Isabel, if it makes you more comfortable."

"It's lovely to meet you," Ginny gushed, shooting Malfoy a very pointed look over her shoulder.

"We've been looking forward to his all week."

To her great shock and embarrassment, Malfoy moved right beside her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and if Ginny hadn't known him, she would have thought it was as natural a reflex as blinking. She could feel the warmth of his arm through her shirt, and she felt her cheeks heat up.

"You mean that _you've_ been looking forward to this all week," Malfoy corrected her, smiling sweetly. "I've had to listen to you go on about it for ages. You never shut-up about it."

Well, at least some things never changed.

Ginny stiffened at his words, but she forced herself to relax. She was acutely aware of every single place he was touching her back. She forced herself to breathe. Then, when she could stand it no longer, she hurried forward and took the chair across from Isabel.

"Where are my manners?" she asked. "I'm Ginny, and this is Ma- Draco."

The words fell awkwardly in the air. Ginny wanted to kick herself, and the smile felt frozen on her face. She could feel Malfoy's eyes burning a hole through the back of her head as he took the seat beside her. Isabel, if anything, looked delighted.

"My Draco?" she cooed. "How adorable."

Ginny certainly wasn't about to correct her. She hid her face, as if embarrassed, and smiled.

"Sorry. The pet names just slip out sometimes."

"That's perfectly all right." Isabel hoisted her clipboard, and her quill scribbled something on the paper. "I have to say, most couples aren't nearly as enthusiastic as you two. It's nice to have a change of pace."

"We've made the best of it, that's for sure." Ginny leaned towards Malfoy in her chair. She couldn't seem to look him in the eye anymore. "We've known each other for years now."

"Were you two always so close?" Isabel asked. "Considering that you're a Gryffindor and Draco's a Slytherin, I wouldn't have thought you really knew one another prior to the war."

At the last word, Ginny felt her heart falter. She could suddenly smell blood, hot and metallic, and the sound of screams echoed around her head. The room felt too hot. Her vision blurred, and she could hear her own ragged breathing as if from far away. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. She saw the images every night: Students lay dead on the castle floor, curses missing her by inches as she fought the Death Eaters; Draco's father among them.

There was a pressure around her hand. The grip helped to anchor her, and she breathed deeply suddenly coming out of her reverie. Malfoy met her gaze squarely, and he squeezed her hand, just once. "Oh, uhm,no. We didn't really know one another before then."

"Your relationship must have developed quickly, then," Isabel noted.

"Yeah." There was something softer in his gaze than Ginny had seen before. His eyes were intent, as if he was trying to convey something to her. The edges of his mouth quirked upwards.

"I got the luck of the draw, I guess."

Ginny's cheeks were flaming, but she smiled serenely as she wrenched her eyes away. "I couldn't agree more."

"Well, there's not much to assess in that case." Dimly, Ginny could tell that Isabel was studying the two of them. Apparently satisfied, the young witch flipped her clipboard over, resting her elbows on the back of it. "Since we still have some time left, why don't you tell me how the two of you first met?"

Ginny couldn't help it: she laughed aloud. _Oh, if only she knew…_

The rest of the session was filled with hastily invented stories. Isabel occasionally interrupted to ask a question, or else put in a comment. Malfoy took the lead, and she was relieved to find that his words were smooth and persuasive; at times, Ginny forgot that he was lying at all. For her part, she did the best to laugh at all the right times and tease Malfoy light-heartedly. They were on their fifth story when Isabel finally stopped them.

"Oh, I'd love to hear another," she said, "but I'm afraid that my next students are here. Can you forgive me?"

"Certainly," Ginny put in quickly. "We tend to bore people if we talk for too long."

"You have no idea how refreshing and enlightening this session was for me." Isabel stood up, gathering her clipboard in her arms. Ginny had offered to leave the roses with her, and she placed them in a vase before hurrying after her. Isabel smiled as she held the door open for the pair of them.

"I really enjoyed speaking with the both of you; you two make an adorable couple."

"Thank-you." Malfoy shook her hand politely. "When should we expect the results?"

"Sometime within the week," Isabel promised.

She waved at them as the two departed. Then, she ushered a nervous Seamus and an irritated Millicent into the room. They walked into separately and sat as far away from each other as possible. Ginny forced a smile as they left, sticking purposefully close to Malfoy. The boy's face was neutral, wiped clean like a piece of parchment.

It was only when they turned the corner, safe from Isabel's prying eyes, that the two sprang apart. Ginny collapsed to the ground, taking deep, slow breaths. She threw her arm over her face to shield her eyes. Malfoy was holding on to the wall as if he might fall over. He looked like he might be sick.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded as he threw his arms up in the air. "You almost fainted in the middle of the assessment. And you called me Malfoy, Weasley!"

"Gee, I wonder why," she snapped. "Force of habit, perhaps?"

Malfoy pointed at the assessment room. "That was your fault!"

"My fault?" Ginny demanded, incredulous. "You're the one who went in there like bloody Romeo and grabbed my waist. I said supportive boyfriend, Malfoy, not possessive lunatic!"

Malfoy scowled at her. "Well, you were the one laughing like a manic banshee. Nothing I was saying was supposed to be funny!"

"That's what people in relationships do, Malfoy!" Ginny tossed her hands up in the air, completely beside herself. She could tell that her red hair was sticking up all over the place, but currently, she didn't care. She narrowed her eyes at him. "People in relationships laugh, and they cuddle, and they-"

"I don't see how you would know." Malfoy's eyes were icy. "You've never been in a proper one because you spend all your time trailing after Potter."

They stared at one another for a long moment. Ginny's entire body was aflame, and she didn't know whether she wanted to hit him or cry or both. Slowly, she stood, her entire body stiff. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Then, she spun on her heel, calling over her shoulder as she went.

"You can go to hell, Malfoy!"

* * *

><p>"How did it go?" Lavender demanded.<p>

The three girls were lounging around the dorm room in various states of undress, although Ginny could tell that each girl had been waiting for her: Hermione's book was upside down, and Parvati had hastily grabbed her nail file pretending to do her nails. Only Lavender had abandoned all pretences, sitting up eagerly on her bed.

"All right, I guess." Ginny shrugged, leaning over to pull off her trainers. "Well the assessment went better than I expected, but Malfoy's still a

prick."

Parvati offered her a sympathetic look. "I'm sure he's not so bad once you get to know him."

"I can't see how he could be much worse." Ginny muttered bitterly. With a hard yank, she tugged off her trainer and it flew across the room. The other one followed shortly after, colliding with the door. Hermione watched each one with a furrowed brow.

"Oh, Gin," she signed. "What did he do?"

Ginny jumped onto her bed. Savagely, she tugged the covers up to her chin, resting her aching head against the backboard. She hadn't decided whether she wanted to talk about it yet; and ever if she did, it was Luna that she wanted to tell.

"It doesn't matter," she said, shaking her head. "So long as we pass the stupid assessment, I couldn't care less if Malfoy murdered kittens in his space time."

She saw the other girls eyes go wide and Lavender started to sputter. Ginny hastily tried to change the subject. "I heard that you assessment went well, Vati."

"Yeah." Parvati said fiddling with the end of her plait, smiling a little to herself. "I ended up doing most of the talking; Michael is so shy. Isabel and I wound up having a great discussion about the latest dress robes. I'm sure Michael was bored out of his mind. I thought we were going to fail for sure, but Isabel said our body language was spot on."

Ginny felt her stomach drop a little. Isabel hadn't said anything like that to them. She rolled over and let her head dangle off the side of the bed. "And what about you, Lav?"

"Well we couldn't exactly talk about how we found out, seeing as how we were both unconscious for it," she said dryly. "Mostly we talked about our plan for the future. Did you know Cormac wants to work as dragon trainer?"

Ginny shook her head' she had always assumed that the boy wanted to be a Keeper. It made sense now that she thought about it: Cormac was stocky and muscular, the same frame that Charlie had. Hermione must have been thinking along the same lines because she chimed in right on cue.

"Charlie was saying that dragon keeping is fascinating," she said. "I think I bored him to death talking about the factual side of it all, but he was all right during the assessment. He can be quite the chatterbox when he's excited, right Gin?"

"Charlie never shuts up," Ginny agreed, grinning. "It's bloody irritating."

The girls collapsed into a thoughtful silence. Ginny turned over and tried to empty her mind enough that she could get some rest.

Luna met Ginny outside the Gryffindor common room the next morning on the way to breakfast. Ginny saw her expectant look.

"So, how'd it go?" Luna asked quickly.

Ginny sighed and kicked the wall by the door. "O.k. I guess. I mean we pretended to be all lovey-dovey and everything. I smiled sweetly and batted my eyelashes at him. Malfoy held the door and took my hand…"

"And you're sure that was acting?" Luna asked giving her a sideways look.

"Of course it was." Ginny scoffed. "We were only doing it to pass the assessment. He still hates me and I still hate him. Besides he practically bit my head off outside right after."

"You know there's a fine line between love and hate. Maybe you just need to give it some more time." Luna said knowingly.

Ginny grimaced and rolled her eyes. "Yea, sure. Soon we'll be best mates and Mer-People will walk on water, and Ron will become the Minister of Magic."

"You never know. It could happen." Luna said as they walked toward the Great Hall.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note **_- I found a great story on this site called Forbidden Choice. As much as I loved it, I started thinking about how I would tell the story myself. I wanted to change a few things and add some points of view. I contacted the original author and asked permission to use her storyline along with details and even sentences. She graciously agreed. Please check out the original concept and story - Forbidden Choice by JKBrimera. A huge Thank You to her for allowing me to use her story and giving me the courage to post my take. _

_Assessments are done! Who will pass and who will fail? As you can see I'm adding and shifting stuff around. Let's see what happens next!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 -<strong>

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><p>As soon as Ginny took her place at the breakfast table, Ron pounced on her.<p>

"What happened during your assessment?" he demanded. "I swear to Merlin, Gin, I will help you out of this. You must be terrified having to be paired with Malfoy. My _own_ sister. He's a bloody death eater and everyone knows it. We can figure out how to get you paired with someone else!"

"Ron."

Her brother continued on with a frightful determination. "Maybe if you told Dumbledore that Malfoy hexed you or threatened you…"

"Ron!" Ginny interjected. "Just stop. Really, I can handle this myself."

She patted his hand patronizingly. Sometimes she swore that Ron still saw a six year old that couldn't find her way home they way he looked at her. Calmly, Ginny turned toward the breakfast and began to help herself to a plate full of eggs and kippers.

Ron looked relieved. "You've already spoken to Dumbledore then?"

"No. I meant I can handle this and Malfoy." Ginny leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not going to be the one girl that needs special treatment because she can't handle who's she's paired with."

"This isn't the time for you damn pride Ginny!" His hands were clenched into fists, and his face had gone a splotch sort of red. With some trepidation, Ginny glanced pleadingly at the Hufflepuff table, but Hannah merely shrugged sympathetically before turning back to her toast. "This is for life. We're talking about forever."

"Who's talking about forever?"

Harry asked as he slid into the seat across from the bickering siblings. His dark hair was mussed and there was a slight pink lipstick mark on the side of his cheek. With a raised eyebrow, Ginny touched her own cheek. Harry checked his reflection in a spoon before sheepishly wiping it away.

"I saw Padma this morning," he explained and blushed.

"Well, it's good to know that some matches are being given a chance." Ginny said glaring pointedly at her brother. "Some of them have worked out for the better I might add."

"Ginny…" Ron looked pained. "This is _Malfoy_ we're talking about here. He kicks animals for fun. Come on, Harry. Tell her how stupid she's being."

Harry almost choked on a piece of sausage. "Wait, you're matched with Malfoy?"

He looked genuinely surprised and Ginny was amused to see that he had somehow managed to avoid all of the Hogwarts gossip. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised: Harry had been the subject of many rumours before, and it was in his nature to reject idle chatter. Ron buried his head in his hands.

"This is a bloody nightmare," he moaned. "Malfoy at the burrow for Christmas dinner? I reckon I'd rather put my hand in a blender."

"Oh stop it and be nice." Ginny swatted at him. "There's nothing I can do."

"Ginny." Ron set his fork down and turned toward her. Ginny understood how serious her brother was being: food was sacred. His blue eyes were solemn. "Tell me one good thing that could possibly come out of being married to Malfoy."

"Well," Ginny said examining her fingernails, "I hear he's a great shag."

Ron, who had just been in the process of drinking his pumpkin juice, promptly spewed the orange liquid across the table. Harry looked disgusted. Ginny had to duck her head to keep from laughing as he set down the toast he had been holding and was now soaking wet. Hermione who had arrived just in time to witness the spectacle, took the seat beside Ron.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing!" Ron sputtered. His face was bright red. "Just some juice went down the wrong way."

Hermione eyed them suspiciously, but let the subject drop. Ron, who had finished gasping for air, seemed to finally realize who was sitting beside him. Ginny noticed that he was very careful not to let any part of him touch Hermione, and when he spoke, his words were a little too stiff.

"How were you assessment results Hermione?"

Hermione's face lit up. "We were in the top percentile! Isabel said that we make a really good couple, and I quite agree. Charlie says that -"

She broke off awkwardly, as if remembering who she was speaking to. Ron was very deliberately chewing his french toast. His ears had gone the telltale red, but Ginny felt a swill of pride for her brother; his steadfast determination to maintain his demeanour. Before Ron could lose it, she cut in.

"That's brilliant, Hermione," she said. "You're so lucky."

Hermione looked at her sympathetically. She seemed to guess that Ginny had not been exactly truthful in the dorm the night before with how her assessment really went with Malfoy.

"Well, at least Lavender will be happy; she finally has an excuse to make you wear that blue dress she's always talking about."

"What? When? There's no way I'm wearing that dress. It's ghastly." It had enough lace and frills to drown a small city in and Ginny shuddered at the thought. "Besides I think most of our time will be spent beating each other up."

"There's that dance coming up," Hermione reminded her.

Ginny's face grew dark. "I forgot about that."

"What about the dance?" Parvati dropped into an open seat beside Hermione. She propped her chin on her hand sighing. "It's been a nightmare trying to convince Michael to go. I keep telling him it's mandatory. I always seem to be with the one boy who won't dance."

"Oi!" Harry protested, his mouth full of egg. He swallowed quickly, his eyes watering from the heat. "We started at the Yule ball together!"

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Yea. Because it was _mandatory_. Do you see my point? All boys are like that."

"I don't know," Ginny said. She thought of Neville who stepped on her toes during the Yule Ball, clumsily falling over, but happy to be dancing with someone. "Some boys like to dance."

Hermione looked torn between curiosity and horror. "Does Malfoy really?"

Everyone else was peering at her with expressions identical to Hermione's. Ginny suddenly realized what her words must have sounded like and she spoke quickly. "Oh, no. Well, wait. Oh bother it all, I have no idea."

Flustered, he elbow landed in Ron's plate filled with sticky syrup. Parvati burst out laughing, followed by Hermione, Harry, and eventually even Ron. Ginny tried in vain to scrape the syrup off with a napkin.

"Where's Lavender?" she asked, trying to change the subject. She dropped the napkin which was flaking and bits were now stuck to her elbow along with the syrup. "I haven't seen her all morning."

"Out with Cormac." Parvati said with her eyes twinkling. "He's teaching her to _fly_."

Ginny suddenly looked up. Hermione's spoon fell to the table with a clatter, but Ginny hardly registered it. "She's _flying_?"

"Well, trying to is more like."

"Are you quite certain that it was on a broom?" Ginny asked. "Maybe McLaggan was just tossing her up in the air or something."

Ginny couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the idea of Lavender on a broom. Last she checked, Lavender wouldn't walk outside when it was windy for fear of ruining her hair. Ginny had offered time and time again to teach her how to fly, but Lavender always seemed to mysteriously disappear or be busy an hour before they had agreed to go.

"Seamus and Dean are out there too," Parvati added, grinning. "I think Seamus is avoiding Millicent."

"Well good for her." Ginny said as she stood up. "I better go wash up before class starts."

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><p>Ginny made her way out of the Great Hall and started back to the dorm. Suddenly she heard a noise behind her and turned.<p>

"Weasley!"

Ginny closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. First Ron and now this blond prat who smirked too much. If he didn't have a good reason for speaking to her, she really was going to murder him.

"Stalking me now Malfoy?" she asked coolly.

"Don't flatter yourself." His voice was taught. "Listen-"

"I'm not really in the mood." She started to turn away and tossed over her shoulder, "You couldn't possibly tell me anything I would want to hear."

Malfoy however grabbed her arm to stop her. The motion so shocked her that she didn't even protest as she turned back.

"We failed."

"I-" It took her a moment to register what he said. "What?"

"We failed." he repeated. A piece of parchment was thrust at her chest, and numbly she took it. Malfoy's expression was storm clouds. "Isabel failed us; we have a longer sentence than anyone else in Hogwarts. Even more than Bulstrode and Finnigan," he spat.

Ginny grimaced. Her eyes were already scanning the lines of the report, but she couldn't seem to take in the words. They swam around in front of her eyes, curling off the page like a serpent's tongue. Ginally, she managed to focus on the letters.

_Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Weasley, _it read.

_While I commend you on your creativity and improvisation skills, it has become quite clear to me that you would rather attempt to lie and scam your way through an assessment those expose genuine feelings for one another. I have recommended a total of three months of couple activity for the pair of you, with an hour designated solely to partner bonding on a daily basis. I urge you to use the allotted time to grow closed and being to understand one another. _

_I really did mean it when I said that you were a cute couple._

_Signed,_

_Ms. Isabel Fullerton, Assessor 316 _

Ginny crumpled the letter in the fist of her hand. She pitched it unceremoniously into the nearest rubbish bin, cursing under her breath. She wished that she were a better actress. She hated her father for giving her the gene that made her blush when she was nervous. Most of all, she hated the stupid Inter-Unity Law and everything that came with it.

"I really thought we had her," she said aloud.

Maloy leaned back against a nearby stone pillar. He looked exhausted. "We've got almost double what everyone else had."

"An hour," Ginny groaned. "An hour I have to spend with you _everyday_?"

Malfoy looked torn between laughing at her misfortune and scowling at his own. He suddenly leaned up off the tree. "In that case, I'll enjoy the hours away from you in the meantime."

He started towards the Dungeons for class. Childishly, Ginny stuck her tongue out at him.

"I saw that," he called over his shoulder. She was able to make out the small smile on his face as he walked away.

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><p>Ginny waited on the front steps anxiously. Reflexively, she checked her timetable for what must have been the twentieth time in the last several minutes; the words swam off the page, blurring together, but she knew what they said: <em>couple activity<em>. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Her head was pounding, and she leant back against a tree to remain upright.

"Early Weasley?"

Ginny jumped. A lean blond was making his way across the grassy slope. Malfoy was coming from the direction of the quidditch pitch, and although he carried no broom, Ginny could tell that he had been playing; his hair was windswept, and his cheeks were chapped red.

"Maybe you're just late," she challenged.

He smirked. "Malfoy's are never late. Everyone else is simply early."

"Where'd you get that from?" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Some random piece of parchment?"

"The Malfoy Etiquette Book."

By the way he spoke of it, Ginny could tell that it was capitalized to relay a title of some sort. However, the words _Malfoy_ and _etiquette_ had never gone together in her mind, and she couldn't help but let her mouth hang open. Knowing the Malfoys, the book probably involved wearing formal dress on Wednesdays and killing only on Tuesdays or something conceited and dark like that.

"Malfoys have etiquette rules?" she asked dryly.

"Of course." Malfoy sounded almost hurt. "We're not barbarians, Weasley; we have to know which is the salad fork and which is the fork for dessert. Black robes for formal dinners, while robes for weddings, and we're not allowed to wear fuchsia."

Ginny stared at him. "Why?"

"Because." He was looking at her as if she had grown another head. "Fuchsia looks awful on all blonds. Well, all blonds except me, of course."

Ginny raised her eyes to the heavens. Silently, she pleaded for Merlin to give her strength. When she looked back down, Malfoy had his infuriating smirk, and Ginny sighed.

"What are we doing today, Malfoy?" she asked wearily.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I asked Blaise the same thing. He had no idea, of course, be he asked Lovegood who mentioned that you like the lake."

There was something in his voice, an almost amused tone that made Ginny cross her arms defensively over her chest. "What?"

"Nothing." said Malfoy sarcastically. "But I mean, really, Weasley? You hang out at the lake?"

Ginny pursed her lips. "What's wrong with the lake?"

He gestured around. "Well, there's that whole thing where it gets cold and everything dies at this time of year," he said. "It's called winter."

"Congratulations, Malfoy." Ginny crumple her timetable in the palm of her hand, shoving it viciously into her book bag. "Now you've clenched it; we're definitely going to the lake."

Malfoy held up his hands innocently. "That's what I was suggesting all along!"

Ginny shook her head, stomping towards the lake. The cool wind bit at her face, and she pulled her scarf over her nose. She was glad that it covered her mouth as well: her grumbling was muffled enough that Malfoy couldn't hear it. She certainly didn't want to give him the justification to try and hex her. In fact, it was odd that Malfoy hadn't tried to hex her yet now that she thought about it. She looked back at him suspiciously and moved further away.

"What?" Malfoy looked amused. "Frightened by your attraction to me?"

"You wish, Malfoy." She sneered and breathed warm air into the palms of her hands. When they reached the lakeside, she stopped, turning to face him at a safe distance. "It's just…. why are you being so…."

"So what?" he sounded annoyed.

"Normal."

Malfoy arched an eyebrow. "Would you rather I tie you up and then throw you into the lake?"

Ginny surprised herself by smiling. "Were you thinking about it?"

"Not really," he scoffed. And then, after a moment's pause, "Besides it would take me much too long to drag your body into the forest. I couldn't possibly levitate it either: quidditch players would see."

Ginny flopped backwards on to the grassy bank of the lake, curling her feet beneath her. A thin layer of frost seeped through her robes. On impulse, she stuck out her hand, allowing the water from the lake to wash over her fingertips.

"Only an hour left." Malfoy dropped down on the grass as well, a good five meters to her left. "I don't know if I can do it."

Ginny flopped backwards onto the grass. The sky was overcast and she could see the sun peeking through the knot of grey clouds. Her ankles were exposed and the wet grass tickled her skin. She laid a hand over her eyes.

"Study or something then," she suggested. "Don't expect me to entertain you."

Malfoy made a sound of disbelief. "As if you'd be good company."

"Well, I guess you'll never know."

He sighed and the sound was a grate on her nerves. Ginny stuck her hands in the grass and latched on to the blades. She mentally counted to ten. She then began to repeat the same mantra over and over again: _he does not bother me, he does not bother me, he does not bother me…_

To her relief, Malfoy reached into his book bag and produced his schoolwork along with a quill. A moment later there was a scratching of writing. Ginny studied the shapes in the clouds. Half an hour passed. She began to grow restless and bored, an unlucky combination that made her even more frustrated that she had been before. Eventually she gave up sitting and stood up abruptly. Malfoy looked up from his parchment.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I don't think," she said, "I am."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and set down his parchment. "Okay. What _are _you doing Weasley?"

"I'm skipping rocks," she informed him.

Ginny turned and plucked a smooth stone from the ground. It was slightly damp and she wiped it on the outside of her robes as Malfoy looked on amused. She tried to balance it flat between her fingers like Luna had taught her, but a snort from Malfoy told her that she was doing it wrong. She glared at him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." He waved a careless hand. "Go right ahead. It looks more like you're about to bludgeon a fish than skip a stone, but be my guest. I'm a big fan of sushi."

Ginny ignored him. With all the dignity she could muster, she wound her arm back, releasing the stone in one fluid motion. It hit the water's surface about ten metres away from where she stood, Then, in time with her heart, it sunk to the bottom. Malfoy smiled smugly.

"That was terrible," he observed gleefully.

"I'd like to see you do better," she huffed.

She was already bending down to pick up another stone when Malfoy, to her surprise, rose to his feet. "You're going to be sorry that you ever doubted me, Weasley."

He picked up a stone. It was smaller than anything Ginny would have picked, and with an odd sort of curve in the middle. Malfoy considered it for several moments before nodding, apparently satisfied. His wrist flicked forwards. The stone bounced once, twice, and eventually another four times. Ginny start in amazement as it disappeared from sight.

"How did you do that?" she demanded.

As if she could absorb his skills, she snatched another rock off of the ground. Her execution was sloppy and the stone ricocheted wide, splashing and then sinking beneath the surface. Malfoy skipped another, this time, for a total of eight times. When he turned back to her, his expression was smug.

"Another Malfoy requirement is talent."

Ginny snorted inelegantly. "And they let you live anyways?"

She ducked as the stone he had been holding moments ago flew over her head. Luckily she had played enough rounds of quidditch with Fred and George to know when a boy was angry enough to throw a bludger at you. Ginny smiled, straightening.

"But answer me honestly." She leaned forward, her voice dropped to a covert exchange. "Do they kill you at birth if you don't come out of the womb performing illegal curses?"

Malfoy released another rock. It shot from his hand, almost as if pulled magnetically towards the lake. Ginny counted nine ripples before it disappeared. Malfoy turned to look at her. "Tell me, Weasley: do they kill you at birth just to save money?

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You're such a prat."

"Pauper," Malfoy countered coolly.

"Git."

"Bloody Gryffindor."

"Stupid Slytherin."

"Stupid Slytherin?" Malfoy echoed, and he sounded amused. "You've lost your touch, Weasley."

"By not insulting me, you've admitted I just won," she announced, and a mixture of smugness and self-righteous contempt filled her. "As my prize, you'll teach me how to skip stones."

"You won? Malfoy repeated skeptically. "I'm fairly certain you were in competition with yourself there Weasley."

Ginny raised one eyebrow. "That doesn't change the fact that I want to learn to skip stones and you haven't said no to teaching me. Otherwise," she added, seeing the look of reluctance on his fact, it's another fifteen minutes of me nagging."

Malfoy examined his wand, bored. "I can do a silencing charm."

"And I can do the counter-curse non-verbally," Ginny snorted.

She realized her mistake too late; Malfoy's eyes widened minutely. For a moment she thought that he looked almost impressed and then it disappeared beneath a mask of calm curiosity.

"You can?"

"Of course not." Ginny looked at the lake to try and hide her discomfort. "I'm pulling your leg, Malfoy. Now show me how to skip a stone." To punctuate her words, she held up a rock, balancing it in her grip. "Is this how you hold it?"

Malfoy looked horrified. "If you were planning to beat someone to death, maybe. If you want to skip a stone, then no; it's like this."

He scooped a pebble seamlessly from the ground. Then, with as little effort as if he was drawing a breath, he flipped it. The rock twirled in the palm of his hand, and then rested comfortably between his fingers.

"Like that," he instructed.

"Er." Ginny was still lost as to how he had picked it up so quickly. "Can you do that again? Only, more slowly?"

To her surprise, he did so, very patiently. He demonstrated in slow motion how to shift it so that he had a firm grip on it. Unfortunately, Ginny had problems copying his movements, and she cradled it awkwardly in her hand. Malfoy smirked.

"Now you're holding it like a javelin, Weasley."

He demonstrated yet again. Ginny bit her lip, tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear as she concentrated. This time, she followed his movements more accurately, and when she threw, she managed to skip it once. The next twenty minutes passed in a similar fashion: Malfoy would demonstrate, and she would her best to mimic it. It was during one particularly good release that Ginny realized she was genuinely enjoying the activity.

She quickly shook that thought off: it was much too dangerous to consider for long.

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><p><strong>Please review! <strong>And don't forget to follow for new chapters! I try to post a new one every few days!


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